Christ's Passion Archives - My Manna

Calvary Continues

My Manna — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 17:00:00 +0000

“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).” John 19:17.

In Jesus’ day, crucifixion was used by the Roman government as a method of executing criminals.

God transformed the cross into a symbol that unites Christians everywhere.
It stands at the heart of what we believe and serves as a central focus of the gospel message.

When we consider the cross-
– we will think about his…

Reputation!

Our Saviour left heaven to dwell on earth and become one of us.
While here, He obediently accomplished the work His Father had given Him. John 5:19.

Because of His perfect life-
He alone was qualified to be our substitute and bear God’s judgment for our sins.

Reconciliation!

Christ went to the cross in order to reconcile us to God.
He suffered a painful death on our behalf, and through His sacrifice, our sin debt has been paid.

God’s justice was fully satisfied at Calvary.
Nothing else is required for our salvation.

Resurrection!

Three days after Jesus was buried-
God raised Him from the dead.

The Saviour’s sacrifice on the cross was accepted as payment for our sins-
– and the way to heaven was opened for all who trust in Jesus.

Our resurrected Lord, having appeared on earth to many people, ascended to live forever with His Father.
Jesus conquered death and made it possible for us to dwell in heaven with Him someday.

I invite people to place their faith in Jesus Christ.

Because of the cross and what happened there-
– such an invitation has great value to the hearer.

In fact, the events of Calvary continue to be relevant to Christians of all ages.
Take time today to thank the Lord for the cross.

(PR)

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Spiritual parachute

My Manna — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 22:00:00 +0000

Today is Good Friday-
– the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ who died on an excruciatingly painful Roman cross two thousand years ago.

Because God is a God of infinite justice-
– he cannot forgive sin without justice being served.

Otherwise he wouldn’t be God.
This means that all sin must be judged according to the moral law of God and the universe.
We can no more defy this law and live than we can defy the law of gravity by jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.

The end result will be death unless—unless we apply another law, the law of aerodynamics.
This law makes it possible for an airplane to fly and a parachute to lower us to the earth gradually and thereby save us.
There is another universal law that we cannot defy and live.
It is “the law of sin and death,” which means that the judgment and penalty of all sin is death and eternal separation from God.

That is, unless we apply a higher law which is “the law of the Spirit of Life,” which is a God-given “spiritual parachute” to save us from eternal death.
God provided this law through the death of Jesus who died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin.
Furthermore, because God is also a God of absolute holiness, no sin or unforgiven sinners can survive in his presence.

As some bacteria are not able to survive in the light and die if they are exposed to it, so it is with us.
In our sinful state if we were exposed to God and his incredible light, we would be destroyed instantaneously.
And herein lies our dilemma.

However, God’s answer to our dilemma lies in the fact that God is not only a God of infinite justice and absolute holiness, but also a God of eternal love.
Because of his love, God gave his very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins to meet the automatic demands of his (God’s) justice and holiness.

Christ’s death made possible God’s “law of the Spirit of Life”—our God-given “spiritual parachute”—to save us from eternal death.
Not to accept and use God’s “parachute” means certain death from which there is no other escape.
In other words, anyone who doesn’t accept God’s pardon will automatically die for him/herself—which means eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life, in the place or condition the Bible calls hell.

All we need to do is-
– confess our sinfulness,
– believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died in our place for our sins, and
– ask God for, and accept, his forgiveness and pardon.

If you have never done this, you can do so right now by praying the following prayer.
“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Saviour. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

(PR)

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Spiritual parachute

MyManna — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 22:00:50 +0000

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering” (Romans 8:1–3).
Today is Good Friday-
– the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ who died on an excruciatingly painful Roman cross two thousand years ago.
Because God is a God of infinite justice-
– he cannot forgive sin without justice being served.
Otherwise he wouldn’t be God.
This means that all sin must be judged according to the moral law of God and the universe.
We can no more defy this law and live than we can defy the law of gravity by jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.
The end result will be death unless—unless we apply another law, the law of aerodynamics.
This law makes it possible for an airplane to fly and a parachute to lower us to the earth gradually and thereby save us.
There is another universal law that we cannot defy and live.
It is “the law of sin and death,” which means that the judgment and penalty of all sin is death and eternal separation from God.
That is, unless we apply a higher law which is “the law of the Spirit of Life,” which is a God-given “spiritual parachute” to save us from eternal death.
God provided this law through the death of Jesus who died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin.
Furthermore, because God is also a God of absolute holiness, no sin or unforgiven sinners can survive in his presence.
As some bacteria are not able to survive in the light and die if they are exposed to it, so it is with us.
In our sinful state if we were exposed to God and his incredible light, we would be destroyed instantaneously.
And herein lies our dilemma.
However, God’s answer to our dilemma lies in the fact that God is not only a God of infinite justice and absolute holiness, but also a God of eternal love.
Because of his love, God gave his very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins to meet the automatic demands of his (God’s) justice and holiness.
Christ’s death made possible God’s “law of the Spirit of Life”—our God-given “spiritual parachute”—to save us from eternal death.
Not to accept and use God’s “parachute” means certain death from which there is no other escape.
In other words, anyone who doesn’t accept God’s pardon will automatically die for him/herself—which means eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life, in the place or condition the Bible calls hell.
All we need to do is-
– confess our sinfulness,
– believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died in our place for our sins, and
– ask God for, and accept, his forgiveness and pardon.
If you have never done this, you can do so right now by praying the following prayer.
“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Saviour. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
(PA)

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Christ on the Cross

MyManna — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 22:00:35 +0000

A boy was having difficulty living the Christian life! He went to his pastor who told him to go see a painting. The caretaker at the gallery took him to a large room where the painting adorned an entire wall.
The young man was repulsed at what he saw! It was a painting of Christ on the cross! But the perspective from which the artist painted it was off balance. It looked grotesque.
The caretaker said, “Son, you need to get closer.” The young man came closer. “Son, you need to get lower.” The young man got lower.
“No, closer and lower.” Before the young man knew what was happening-
– he was kneeling at the foot of the cross! And when he looked up-
– he understood the entire painting!
Until you are willing to take your place at the foot of the cross-
– the Christian life will never make sense to you either!
Spend some time meditating on what Jesus experienced as He suffered the anguish, accusations, scourging, mocking, and actual crucifixion to make atonement for your sin!
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
(PA)

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Spiritual parachute

MyManna — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 22:00:17 +0000

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The cross of Christ

MyManna — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 16:00:28 +0000

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).
It’s historical fact that Jesus Christ suffered.
But the idea that His suffering was necessary-that He had to suffer-has often been the subject of scorn from those who have criticized and ridiculed Christianity.
It’s also what sets Christianity apart.
Muslims, for example, show respect for the person of Christ-
– but see the cross of Christ as a stumbling block and regard the atonement as foolishness.
Oxford scholar Alfred Heir called Christianity-
– “the worst of all because it rests on the idea of a suffering Saviour and a substitutionary atonement, which is intellectually contemptible and morally outrageous.”
As followers of Jesus-
– we embrace His cross.
We sing songs like “On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame.”
This divergent thinking perfectly illustrates 1 Corinthians 1:18:
“The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
So why was the cross essential?
Why couldn’t He have skipped the suffering and just died for us?
1 John 4:10 says:
“This is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the payment for our sin.”
The key word is payment.
The Bible explains this payment in many different ways:
He died to give us life (1 John 5:11).
He died to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).
He died, the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18).
He died for our sins (Hebrews 9:26).
He died to save us (Romans 10:9).
He died to give us eternal life (John 3:16).
It wasn’t enough for Him to die.
He had to pay a debt.
His payment was made to satisfy the demands of God’s anger.
Peace with God is the absence of anger.
As much as God loves you-
He hates your sin with a holy, burning passion beyond comprehension.
The only way He could embrace you was to make someone else pay for your sins.
It couldn’t be just anyone.
It had to be someone perfect.
Since we’re all sinners, He came Himself.
That’s the whole gospel.
Hear it again for the first time:
You can be forgiven and washed clean.
But God couldn’t do that lightly.
He couldn’t say, “Oh, I see your sin, but never mind.”
Someone had to pay for our sins.
It was Jesus.
He willingly suffered and died on the cross and God, somehow in His infiniteness, laid all of our sinfulness there upon His Son.
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
(PR)

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