Risen And Resurrected

 Risen and Resurrected are two different events.

Luke 24:6-7  "He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ”

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay."

Mark 16:6 "But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him."

John 20:10-18 Describes what happened after Jesus rose from the dead (risen) and walked out of the grave (resurrected). 

Risen means to wake up, to stand. Generally speaking it means to awaken from sleep or death. Risen is to call the dead to life, as Jesus does when he speaks to Lazarus in John 11:33-34, "After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.

Resurrection is Jesus. He tells us this Himself in John 11:25 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." 

Resurrection is to rise again, to stand again. It is a repeat of what has already happened, to wit: He is risen. But now being the Resurrection He is also resurrected! Praise The LORD!!

The Cross Has Two Sides

 

There are two sides to the cross: the front and the back. The front of the cross is the part we see when first we come to the cross. The eyes of our heart want to look away, for the sight before us is one of death and shame. 

Blood covers the cross where the body of Christ bled and died on it. It is a means of humiliation, torment and torture (Deuteronomy 21:23; Acts 5:30; Galatians 3:13) He was beaten so badly He was unrecognizable (Isaiah 52:14; Isaiah 53:2; Isaiah 50:6; Psalm 22). Yet the cross is known even to His enemies, for none can really take their eyes off of it. 

The Roman soldier who stood looking on at the Man who had been nailed to the cross, who stood where the blood was flowing, knew that here was a righteous man (Mark 15:39). 

If we listen to the Voice of Reason, which tells us this is where the Savior of the world died, then we can make our way to the back of the cross. But to get there we will have to go through the blood.

With our eyes wide open, and our hearts having received the knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, we are able to walk through the blood which was shed for us and make our way to the other side of the cross. 

Death is not here. Shame is not here. We left those on the other side, under the blood. Life is here. Joy is here. Victory is here.  Jesus is here. He's not on the cross any longer. 

In the blood 

we are forgiven. 

For it is the blood of Christ which washes away all our sins, WHEN we repent. It is not enough to be sorry for what we have done wrong. It is not enough to be remorseful for our wrongdoings.

Even Judas was sorry for his actions. He saw the immediate results of his betrayal of his Friend. But he did not repent. He tried to give the money back. But he did not repent. 

Unless we repent of the sins we have committed against the Word of God, we will not be forgiven. We must go through the blood of Christ on the cross in order to walk out of the grave with Him. 

We cannot live a new life in Him unless we go through Him. 

I am forgiven. Every day I ask the Holy Spirit to search my heart and show me where I need to be washed clean. Then I repent and ask for help and strength to not commit the same crimes against God that I have already been forgiven for. And He helps me. 

If you don't already have it, you, too, can have this relationship with Jesus Christ. All you have to do is ask God for it. You will know the change when it happens. No fancy prayer, just talk to Him from your hearts. Like I did. 

 

This Is Jesus: King of the Jews

 

John 19:1

So then Pilate took Jesus and had Him scourged (flogged, whipped).

Isaiah 50:6

I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle.

Isaiah 53:5

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.

Knowing now that His face was a bloody mess from having His beard torn out, we see that His persecutors further assaulted Him.

John 19:2

And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe around Him. 

Matthew 27:29

And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt down before Him to mock Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

Mark 15:17

They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head.

John 19:3

And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail (rejoice, be glad), King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.

His back, shoulders, neck, and legs having been whipped to shreds earlier, now had a garment thrown around Him, which caused the wounds to clot and cling to the cloth. But when the rob was stripped away from Him, the bleeding began again. And this is how He walked and carried the cross (beam) in the road and up the hill. 

Matthew 27:31

After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

The post would already have been placed into the ground. The beam Christ carried across His shoulders, but in His condition, His weakened body had not strength to carry such a heavy crossbeam. 

Mark 15:21

Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.

Luke 23:26

As the soldiers led Him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.

And when Jesus reached the top of Golgotha, the soldiers nailed His hands to the cross beam, raised Him up on the crossbeam and set it into the post already there. Then they nailed His feet to that post.

Psalm 22:16

For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet.

Matthew 27:35

After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

Psalm 22:18

They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

John 19:23-24

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it." This was to fulfill the Scripture: "They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing." So that is what the soldiers did. 

Matthew 27:37

Above His head they put up the charge against Him in writing: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

The crime He was accused of and crucified for. And who accused Him.

Luke 23:38 tells us it was written in three languages, that all who saw Him would know who He was.

And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

[in Greek:  Αυτός είναι ο Ιησούς Ο Βασιλιάς των Εβραίων           ; in Latin: Hic est Iesus Et rex Iudaeorum; in Hebrew: זה ישו מלך היהודים]

John 19:19

And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And in the agony of breathing, Jesus managed to make seven statements. His lungs were pressed for air, His heart struggling to keep blood pumping through His body for just long enough, His whole body cramping, aching and weakening, Jesus spoke. 

Luke 23:34-35

When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.

Luke 23:39-43

One of the criminals who hung there heaped abuse on Him. “Are You not the Christ?” he said. “Save Yourself and us!”

But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment? We are punished justly, for we are receiving what our actions deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

 

John 19:26-27

When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.”

Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.

John 19:28

After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

Matthew 27:46

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Luke 23:44-46

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last.

Isaiah 53:3-5, 7

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.

Psalm 22:14

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

Jesus died of a broken heart. Though leg-breaking was the common way of increasing the time of death for many who were crucified, this was not necessary for the death of Christ: He had already died.

John 19:33-34

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.  

Mark 15:39

When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

This is Jesus: King of the Jews

 

The Necessity of Total Commitment

 Matthew 10:38 " And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me."

Mark 8:34 "And when He had called His people unto Him with His disciples, H said unto them, 'Whosoever will come after Me let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'"

John 19:17 "And He bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of the skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha."

==To 'take up one's cross' is to be fully surrendered to God's will for our life. 

==To 'come after Jesus' is to follow God's Word in our lifetime. 

==To come to the place of death, where the cross leads us, is to live a committed, fulltime life of ministry according to God's Way. 

On the one hand this appears to be an easy task. If life didn't get in the way and cause us to make choices/decisions that interfere with being a fully committed servant of God. We can't live in a box and not interface with other people. That's not living.

We must interact with other people in order for us to fulfill God's purpose not only in our lives but in theirs.

We sing I Surrender All. but do we? We sing I Have Decided To Follow Jesus, but have we? We sing There's Room At The Cross For You, but do we really mean it?

Total Commitment. Fully Surrendered. Have I been found worthy? 

Everything we do as Christians must line up with the Word of God; it is our 'rule of thumb', plumbline, level. Do our words match our actions and God's Word? Are we the hypocrite we despise? Only when we are honest with ourselves will we be able to grow in Christ. And who convicts of our guiltiness? The Holy Spirit. Without His presence in our lives, there is no conviction of sin, no shame, no repentance, no peace and no love. 

We need God's Holy Spirit to live God's Word God's Way in God's Will. We need God's Holy Spirit to live a life of Total Commitment. Scripture tells us that whatever we ask God for must be in accordance with God's Word in order for it to be answered. John 16:23 "Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." John 15:7 "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you."

Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Now is the time to seek God's face in order that we may receive God's will for us today. Now is the time to call on God's Name that we might receive God's Word in our lives. Now is the time to ask Him for His Holy Spirit to empower us to live God's Word every day of our lives. 

Thankful For Brokenness

 

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,

 and they all drank from it.

Mark 14:23

Jesus, knowing what lay ahead of Him, knowingly gave thanks to God for what was about to happen in the next few hours and coming days. Can any of us say that? 

He knew that His body would suffer and be broken, that His blood would spill out onto not only the ground, but the sins of all the people in the whole wide world. 

He knew and He answered the call His Father had laid on Him to be His Father's Holy Lamb of God which would take away the sins of the world, not just cover them up. 

He knew He would remain silent before His accusers unless prompted by His Father to speak to them. 

He knew the what, the why and the how.

BUT

He also knew the outcome.

And He knew the Victory. 

The Sower Sows The Word

Mark 4:14 "The sower sows The Word." 

Mark 4:3-9 is The Parable of The Sower, while Mark 4:10-20 is the explanation of the parable presented. 
A heart that is not ready to change will not be changed. Soils that are hardened ground or rocky territory will not allow the Seed of The Word to take root. When that happens, false teachers and false doctrines come along and swoop down on a person's thoughts and heart, taking away the topsoil, where The Word lay, but did not enter. 

A heart that is ready to change cannot do it on its own. Any effort made to be a better person will soon fail on some level. You and I can be good according to this world's standards of goodness and still fall short of God's definition of good. Way short.
It is only when we want what God has to offer that we turn to Him and ask for this change to happen. We cannot stumble or fall into grace; we must make a conscious informed decision to receive salvation through God's plan of salvation: Jesus Christ.
"Believe on The Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, and your house." Acts 16:31 (HCSB) See, The Promise of Salvation is not just for us, but for our households, our families and our helpers. "If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 (ISV)
It is only then, when The Seed is in our hearts, that the change we have desired to see in ourselves begins to take place.