Saturday, April 29, 2017

Family Sunday Loving Others

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Let’s read a few verses from the 4th and 5th chapters of First John which cut to the heart of the message we have from God this morning.

1 John 4
9  God showed how much he loved us by sending His One and Only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

11  Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

17  And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

21  And God has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.

1 John 5
1 ¶  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children, too.
2  We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey His commandments.
3  Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.

There are three questions we will ask ourselves during out Bible study time together this morning. If you get these correct you will have a good life …

1.  Do I love God?
2.  Why does God want me to love others?
3.  How do I know if I love God and others?

To best answer these questions let’s turn to what is known as the “Love Chapter” in the Bible.

Note: Give families time with each other to explain and discuss:.

1 Corinthians 13
4  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
5  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
6  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
7  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

13  Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.

1.  Do I love God?
a.   It’s really a simple test … Do you obey Him and love others?
b.   Disobedience to God’s Word is a sign of selfishness not love.
c.   We are instructed to love God more than we do ourselves and love others as much as we do ourselves.
2.  Why does God want me to love others?
a.    So that they may experience God’s love for them through me.
b.    When Christians disobey God, we confuse the world about God and about Christians. An unloving Christian is an oxymoron. The Bible calls that person a hypocrite. 
3.  How do I know if I love God and others?
a.   Are you a child of God?
b.   Are you patient; kind; jealous; boastful; proud; or rude?
c.   Do you demand your own way or are you irritable?
d.   Do you keep a record of wrongs done by others?

Don’t give up … Open your heart to the Lord and allow Him to work on the areas of your life that need to change. Christ is being formed in you each and every day. Maybe this will help:
·        Repent for being a bad example and ask God to forgive you.
·        Let others know you are sorry for being impatient or unkind, jealous, boastful, proud, demanding, irritable, or rude.

·        Work with God so others can experience His love through you.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Still Leaving …


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The first 49 days after leaving Egypt were days spent by the Children of Israel in getting to know God and learning to depend on Him. While the Children of Israel were getting to know God, God was working on something else.

You see, the Children of Israel had been living in Egypt for 430 years to the day God delivered them. God used the first Passover, which occurred on the 14th Day of the month called Nisan, to get His Children out of Egypt. However, God knew it would take a bit longer and a lot more work to get Egypt out of them.

So, those first 49 days after Passover are still called the Days of Omer. Omer is a unit of dry measurement. A few days after the Children of Israel left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea they found themselves in a wilderness desert where there was no food or water. They began complaining and God proved Himself by providing an abundant fresh sweet water source and quails that covered the whole camp.

Then, God told the Children of Israel through Moses that each morning He would send manna from heaven sufficient for each day’s need. The manna was light and fresh and tasted like a honey wafer. I have imagined it appeared much like some of the honey flavored cereals we see in the grocery stores today. At any rate, every family was to gather a specific amount for each person in the family. That amount is called an omer and is equal to a little more than a big heaping double handful.

They were instructed by Moses to gather only that amount and not try to gather more thinking they could save it for the next day. Any extra gathered would only become wormy and rank. Of course, every person who obeyed had just enough for the family and those who gathered too much found it began to stink and bred worms.

As well, the Children of Israel were told that they were to gather an omer per person each morning for six days and on the sixth day they should gather twice that amount because there would be no provision and no gathering on the seventh day, the Sabbath, which was a holy day unto the Lord and to His Children. This special provision allowed that a blessing was on the sixth day as a double portion day both in provision and protection. The extra gathered on the sixth day and left to eat on the seventh day did not breed worms and was found to be as fresh as if it had been gathered that very morning.

The Children of Israel ate the manna fresh, they ground it and baked it into bread and cakes and toasted it and dried it to eat throughout the day. It was very good to the taste and no doubt very healthy however it was the same thing day after day … and would be for 40 years. Of course, God never intended the Children of Israel be in that wilderness for such a long time but that was their fault, a result of their own bad decisions and another story all together.

Every year since the first Passover the Lord has instructed His Children to commemorate this event with a Feast of Unleavened Bread and the counting of the 49 Days of Omer. The counting leads up to the next Feast which we have come to recognize as the Feast of Pentecost. Today at sundown in Israel began the 17th Day of Omer. This simply means that today marks the 17th day after the Children of Israel left Egypt and began their Exodus journey with God.

Passover:
1.   Remembers God delivering His Children from Egypt.
2.   Points to a day when God would deliver His Children from sin.

The Days of Omer are days of discipleship, if you will. Even though God got His Children out of Egypt at Passover, He knew it would take a longer process to get Egypt out of them. Historically these are the days when the Children of Israel were experiencing all the new things which come with deliverance. All along they were walking towards Mount Sinai where God was going to reveal Himself in a mighty way through thundering, lightening, smoke and loud trumpets. From Mount Sinai God gave the Ten Commandments and caused the people to understand His will.

When we catch up with the Children of Israel in the Book of Exodus chapter 16 and find them only a few days into their wilderness experience they aren’t going to the Promise Land yet … oh no … in fact they are headed on a course that is taking them farther from the Promise Land … they are still in the process of leaving Egypt behind. They may have physically left Egypt but emotionally and mentally they are wishing they were still there. The world and bondage and slavery to pharaoh was so familiar that it was hard to leave all that familiarity behind.

It’s no different for people today. God gets people out of bondage to this world through the salvation which comes when they receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. But just because Believers are out of the world does not mean that the world is out of them. Let’s read from the book of Exodus and observe the parallels and find the principles God was attempting to reveal to His Children on their journey leaving Egypt. Remember, it can take time and work and a change of attitude to leave this world behind after you have been saved.

Exodus 16  NKJV
1 ¶  And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt.
2  Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3  And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.
5  “And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
6  Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt.
7  “And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?”
8  Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.”
9  Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.’ ”
10  Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
11  And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12  “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”
13 ¶  So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp.
14  And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.
15  So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.
16  “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ”
17  Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.
18  So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.

The Manna teaches us:
1.   We must work with God to provide for ourselves and our household each day.
a.   God demands we participate in our miracles.
b.   Idle lives make no provision for the day …
2.   We should be content with enough.
a.   Joy and contentment should be the result of enjoying what we need and not in possessing more than we need.
b.   Give us this day our daily bread …
3.   We can depend on God.
a.   Our future is safer and more secure in God’s storehouse than in ours.
b.   We should not expect that we are wiser or better managers than God and His providence.

It is evident from this passage that God had gotten the Children of Israel out of Egypt but it was also evident that He had not yet succeeded in getting Egypt out of them.

Remember, there is a difference between leaving the world and leaving the world behind.


Our trust in God and His leadership is an indication of our Christian maturity. Before God takes us to our greatest day He will search our hearts and try our reigns so that He may know if we will obey Him in the abundant and blessed days ahead. God’s desire is that we know Him and trust Him for a future that is out of this world!

Saturday, April 22, 2017

What’s Next?

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One week ago we celebrated the anniversary of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It has been approximately 1,987 years since Jesus was crucified, buried and raised to life again. Each year we get closer to His second coming and the rapture of the Church. But why has God waited so long to bring this age to a close and to begin the millennial reign of Christ as King upon the earth? Consider this:

·        The Apostles of Jesus imagined that Jesus would set up His earthly Kingdom prior to the crucifixion. In other words, they never expected Jesus to die.
·        Once Jesus was buried the Apostles and those who believed He was the Messiah were disappointed, afraid and confused. Although Jesus had told them, as yet they did not understand, that Jesus was going to be resurrected from the dead on the third day after his death.
·        Even after several credible and trusted witnesses reported that they had seen the risen Lord, the Apostles still did not believe.
·        All of their hopes were shattered and they no longer expected to see the Kingdom of God established on the earth.
·        When the tomb was discovered to be empty and they could not find the body of Jesus, those close-knit followers of Christ debated among themselves and questioned others as to where His body had been moved. They wanted to visit His grave to pay their respects.
·        After Jesus appeared alive to 10 of the Apostles that first Sunday evening and then to the 11 Apostles one week later, on the next Sunday evening, and showed them His nail scared hands and the piercing wound in His side, they obeyed His earlier instructions to go to the Galilee where they would see Him again.
·        If God had chosen to immediately set up the Millennial Kingdom of Christ on the earth at that time there would have only been perhaps 120 to 500 Believers in heaven. God wants and has prepared for a large family … 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands upon thousands from every nation, tribe, kindred and  tongue upon the earth.

Immediately after the Resurrection of Jesus that first few weeks, the Apostles were still primarily focused on Jesus setting up His earthly Kingdom. They were ready for Him to be recognized, deliver His people and reign as King on the earth.

Acts 1:6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

As I said earlier, when Jesus died on the cross it shattered the Apostle’s world … they didn’t know what to do so they just sat dumbfounded in that upper room in Jerusalem. After Jesus appeared alive to them twice in the first 8 days they were elated to see Him and talk to Him but they still had no clue as to what they were supposed to do.
·        Jesus told them to go to Galilee where they would see Him again. But, so what???
·        Was this to be the extent of their lives and service? Were they to go from town to town waiting on Jesus to manifest Himself?
·        What was next?

It is at this point we catch up with seven of the Apostles in John chapter 21. They are sitting and waiting on Jesus to show up in a village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. They had walked from Jerusalem … the journey took several days and now they were growing restless and perhaps a little hungry as well.
·        No doubt the other villagers, some close friends and family members were as confused about their future than were they.
·        These friends had not had the personal experience of seeing Jesus alive.
·        Perhaps the people around the Galilee thought these Disciples of Jesus were stupid, or crazy, perhaps liars, or maybe just deceived …
·        Some of the Apostles had families to feed and take care of – and you might well imagine that the ministry resources it took to pay bills and buy groceries for all those followers had dried up a bit.
·        Offerings now were probably at an all-time low!
·        Yet, they waited … just how long can a person wait?

John 21  NKJV
1 ¶  After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:
2  Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
3  Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
4  But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5  Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”
6  And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
7  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
8  But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish.
9  Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.
10  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
11  Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.
12  Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”  — knowing that it was the Lord.
13  Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
14  This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Some things to notice about this passage when considering what’s next:
1.   The test of waiting on God
a.   What we do while we wait can determine
                                           i.    How long we wait
                                          ii.    If we are productive while we wait
b.   Only God can determine the right time
2.   Our decisions influence others
a.   Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
b.   The six others said, “We’re going with you.”
c.   Our decisions influence others.
3.   He knows the answer before He asks
a.   Have you any food?
b.   Then why does He ask?
c.   So that you can know the answer too.
4.   When we confess our emptiness He opens our hearts
a.   No!
b.   Nothing opens a heart like emptying ourselves before Him.
c.   There is such potential in an empty vessel …
5.   Everyone has their part
a.   Peter swam to shore alone while others brought a boat and the net filled with fish
b.   Peter was not more spiritual because he got there first.
c.   Someone always must do the work.

They were excited to see Jesus … but … What’s Next?

Jesus begins to admonish Peter with words that have continued to give direction to Believers in every generation for the past 1,987 years. These words answered the questions of the Apostles and they continue to point us to what’s next in our lives as well …

John 21
15 ¶  So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16  He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.


Until Jesus returns our duty is clear … Feed and take care of those Jesus loves … and … He loves the whole world!

Saturday, April 15, 2017

The Resurrection

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Mark 16 NKJV
1 ¶  Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
2  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
3  And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
4  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away — for it was very large.
5  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6  But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
7  “But go, tell His disciples — and Peter — that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
8  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
9 ¶  Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
10  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.
11  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
12  After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.
13  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
14 ¶  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
15  And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16  “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17  “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18  “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 ¶  So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
20  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

What does the Resurrection of Jesus speak to people living in the world today?

1.   “Let there be light!”
a.   On the first day of the week … First things First!

Mark 16: 2  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

b.   When you were without form and void, when darkness claimed you, the Holy Spirit watched over you and God spoke … and the Light of Christ separated you from the darkness of this world.
c.   Light is greater than darkness …
d.   The Resurrection revealed the power of the Light of God

2.   In Him was Life

Mark 16: 6  But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here …

a.   Life is greater than death.
b.   Life overcomes death … death cannot destroy life!
c.   Do not be alarmed or afraid …
d.   The Resurrection confirmed the power of the Life of God

3.   God so loved the world …

Mark 16: 15  And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

a.   Go to the store and buy a pound of butter …
                                         i.    We can go everywhere, and visit every store, and buy and buy and buy – but unless we understand that it is all about the butter … we’ve missed the mark.
                                        ii.    The Resurrection is all about the Light, Life and Love of the Gospel.
b.   If its purpose and product is not Light, Life and Love – It’s not the Gospel of the Resurrection of Christ!
c.   The Resurrection declared the power of the Love of God

Jesus is:
·        The Light
·        The Life
·        The Love
o   Of God
o   For all mankind

o   For eternity!

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Passover

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Today is April 12, 2017 unless you are Jewish and then according to the Hebrew calendar the date is Nisan 16, 5777.

This date is a very important day each year. Let me give you a brief and important look at why this date is important for Christians as well.

The Book of Exodus gives the historical account of God delivering the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage as promised. God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to “let His people go!” Pharaoh refused and so a series of 10 plagues were released by God upon the land of Egypt and the inhabitants excepting the Jews. The Jews were given a special covering by God and as long as they followed the instructions given them by Moses the plagues did not affect them.

The 10th and final plague was a terrible plague. The angel of death passed through all the land of Egypt killing the firstborn child and animal alike from the palace to the prison. The holy hope was to be covered by the blood of a lamb. Moses instructed the Jews to do as God directed. Here were their instructions as recorded in:

Exodus 12 KJV
1 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2  This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3  Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4  And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6  And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7  And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

12  For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

According to Exodus 12:51, on that selfsame day the Lord brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt. Reading the entire account from Exodus Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, the Bible continues to give instructions as concerning this all momentous time of the year and specifically today’s date on the Jewish calendar. God is very date conscious and date connected.

The killing of the Passover Lamb was commanded to be observed on the evening of the 14th day of Nisan which is during the full moon. The day following is considered a special Sabbath whereupon begins the yearly Feast of Passover which lasts for 7 days. The day after that special sabbath, the 16th day of Nisan, begins what is referred to in the Book of Leviticus as the “Days of Omer”.

So, today at sundown began the yearly recognition of the Days of Omer. Now what are the Days of Omer and who cares … or to better put it, what difference does it make to us?

The Days of Omer count down the specific number of days between the Passover Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Pentecost. Or in other words, God was sending a message each year and inviting each one of His children to participate in a few dress rehearsals which the Bible calls Feasts. Each one of the 7 Feasts observed by the Children of Israel was a dress rehearsal and a reminder of not only what God did in their history but also what God was going to do in their future.

The Passover Feast of Unleavened Bread pointed the Children of Israel to a time when God would sacrifice a Passover Lamb and cover them with the Blood of that Lamb so that the angel of death would pass over them. The Feast of Pentecost which took place 50 days after the Passover Feast of Unleavened Bread on which day God sent the Holy Spirit as recorded in the 2nd Chapter of the Book of Acts.

Th days between these two feasts are known as the Days of Omer – which are a countdown to what God did on Mount Sinai, what He did in Jerusalem and what He will yet do in the ultimate fulfillment with the release of a power the likes of which this world has never seen! We can rest assured … God has a plan and He has perfect timing!!!

Look at how the Bible scriptures fit together … only God …

Exodus 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

Matthew 26:17 ¶  Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?

Mark 14:12 ¶  And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?

Luke 22 
7 ¶  Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.
8  And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
9  And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?
10  And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.
11  And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
12  And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.
13  And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
14  And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
15  And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16  For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18  For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Sound familiar? I encourage you to read the rest of this account and how Jesus was betrayed a few hours after that last supper by Judas to the High Priest, arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and judged. Later that same night Jesus and through the next morning Jesus was taken to stand trial before Pontus Pilate and King Herod before being beaten, mocked, led outside the city of Jerusalem and crucified on Mount Calvary between two thieves.

Jesus died on the cross as a sacrificial Lamb without blemish. He was buried in a tomb in a nearby garden and then on the 3rd day, early on that Sunday morning, Jesus was raised from the dead victorious over sin, death, hell and the grave and He lives forevermore!


We will hear more about His resurrection this Sunday morning as we celebrate together right here in memory of that day. Remember, there’s a countdown ongoing in heaven and it begins today! Happy Counting!!!