Rejoice! The Lord Has Risen! Rejoice!

Although I authored this devotion last year, the telling and teaching of God's truth neither gets old nor fades with time.  I pray that the splendor of our risen Lord takes center stage in the forefront of your thoughts not only today, but always and for His greatest blessings to be upon you!


Paid In Full
Original posting April, 4, 2012

If there is one thing that all the various church denominations seem to have in common, it is the symbol of the cross. Mounted atop or on the side of just about every church you will see a cross and many people adorn themselves with crosses such as a necklace, earrings or a lapel pin. Much of our culture today has seemingly glamorized the cross and so much so, it has distilled the true horror and fear of what the cross stood for in the days when Jesus walked the earth.

In those days, the Roman Empire used the cross to instill fear among the people as a tool for maintaining order. It was commonplace to see a cross bearing a man or woman being crucified – an excruciatingly painful and slow form of death and yet, Jesus went to the cross willingly in our place.

Beaten beyond recognition, the flesh ripped from his sides and back, His head pierced by a crown of thorns, nails driven through his wrists and a spike through his feet, Jesus is then raised up on a cross to die for the sins of the world – for your sins and mine. Suffering a slow and painful death on a cross, we read of some amazing things in those final hours of Jesus’ ministry.

A heart for forgiveness is necessary for the true follower of Christ and I say this because if we are to become more Christ-like, we must be willing to forgive as He forgives. Jesus, struggling for each breath as He hung on the cross, extended not cruelty and blame towards His oppressors, but mercy and forgiveness saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Do you have people in your life that you have yet to forgive and do you realize failing to forgive others hinders your relationship with God? Do you realize that by harboring hatred and bitterness within you are the one who is held captive by your own flesh? Dear friend, we must follow the example our Lord boldly gave us from the cross and forgive those who have persecuted us for they do not know what they are doing, but we do.

Perhaps you are one who believes that the sins of your past are too great to be forgiven and thereby you continually tear yourself down mentally. Dear friend, there is no sin to great that God cannot forgive and in fact, if you have sought His forgiveness, He has not only forgiven your sins fully, but He remembers them no more.

The only one who keeps reminding you of your past is Satan because he wants nothing more than to keep you down with nothing but a sense of despair. Jesus turned hopelessness into assurance by way of the cross and the Father will forgive the sins of all who come to Him with a true penitent heart. Forgive yourself dear friend and start living the abundant life as only Christ can provide and the next time Satan tries to remind you of your past, you remind him of his future!

Now having hung on the cross for some six hours (according to Jewish reckoning), Jesus with a loud voice said, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” (Mark 15:34) Jesus took the sins of the entire world upon Himself and thus, the Father could no longer look upon His one and only begotten Son. The Greek word for forsake is engkataleipo, which means to leave behind or desert and at this point, Jesus felt abandoned.

It seems only a few chapters ago we read of God speaking at the baptism of Jesus saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5) to now not being able to bear the sight of His son. Despite all His good works and His obedience to the will of the Father, the presence of sin created a divide between Jesus and His Father. For the first time, Jesus felt totally abandoned because the world had rejected Him and His Father now turned away from Him.

How could Jesus, the second member of the Holy Trinity who is God the Son, be separated from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit? Many people ask this question and the bible does not provide any clear explanation as to how this could be other than Jesus bearing the sins of the world, but I offer my theory on the matter.

We know that Jesus was both God and man, and He chose to set His divinity aside i.e. he refrained from using His divine power, but He never ceased being God. In the wilderness, Jesus was never tempted by Satan as God, but He did experience the physical pressures of being tempted as a man. On the cross at Calvary, Jesus never ceased being God, but he did bear the sins of the world and feel the emotional turmoil of being separated from the Father as a man.

Dear friends, just as sin separated Jesus the man from the Father in those fleeting moments on the cross, so it will do to you and all who refuse to repent of their transgressions. Yes Darryl, but I am not like those in the world who commit murder, steal, and deceive others - you say and indeed, you are off to an excellent start.

However, have you gotten angry with anyone today, or have you printed anything personal at work today, or have you bent the truth today in any way? If you said yes to any of these dear friend, than you have murdered someone in your heart and/or stolen from your employer and/or practiced deceiving others. In other words, you are separated from God by the sin in your life and unless you repent you may parish as well for no one knows the hour of which he/she will be called to face judgment.

Sin is like that of a firewall and with unrepentant sin in your life, which side of the wall are you standing on? Indeed, you are on the side with the ever-consuming fire that will one day imprison you for all eternity – forever separated from the presence of God. Heed the words of Jesus saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

Jesus, by dying on the cross, paid a sin debt He did not owe because we owed a sin debt we could not pay and now all we need do is repent and ask forgiveness from the Father. It is literally that easy and that simple to establish or restore your relationship with the Father who loves and cares for you. This is the very reason, the very purpose, why Jesus suffered and died on the cross – that you might have eternal life.

Knowing all had been accomplished, Jesus said, to fulfill scripture (Ref. Psalms 69:21), “I am thirsty.” The guards offered the creator of the universe, the Son of God, sour wine from a sponge on a hyssop branch, and when He had received the drink, he said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) At that moment, the bible teaches that the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom thus signifying man may now come in to the presence of God by way of faith in Christ Jesus – The New Covenant.

The Christian celebration of Easter is a time for remembrance of a price paid for a promise given. It brings a season of renewal where lost people are born again and prodigal children return to the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

Perhaps by reading this message you are ready to accept Jesus in to your life and if so, I encourage you to lift your voice in prayer right now. You can either lift up your own prayer or use the following as a guide.

Father, I know I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness with a penitent heart. I believe by faith that Jesus is your only begotten Son who died on a cross for my sins. I also believe that you raised Him from the dead and that He is now seated at Your right hand. I humbly confess Him as my Savior and Lord and welcome the Holy Spirit in my life to help me obey and do your will, not mine, for the rest of my life. In the blessed and Holy name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God and next Sunday, go to church and tell the pastor what you have done and he will gladly counsel you further as a new born Christian.

If you are a prodigal child desiring to return in your fellowship with God, simply go to Him in prayer for you already know that which you must confess. Just as He did on the day you were born again, so He stands ready to do again and that is to forgive and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Hesitate not, go to Him now dear brother/sister for He is patiently waiting with His arms open – for you!

Easter is a time of spiritual rejuvenation for those who believe and a time of enlightenment for those who are lost and there is an old hymn that summarizes it best, which says, “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

Have a blessed Easter (Resurrection) Sunday!