Reflections of EASTER

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 | Published in | 0 comments

Maundy Thursday we reflect on the torture Jesus endured going to the cross for us.  Good Friday we reflect on the horrible death Jesus died in our place.
What a JOY to see SUNDAY come!  Easter is here!  He is RISEN!  We have a new beginning! a new HOPE!  The promise of His return!
Maybe you have never thought of the depth of the scripture Romans 6:23 For the WAGES of SIN is DEATH but the GIFT of GOD is Eternal LIFE through Him 

"The WAGES of SIN is DEATH"
Reflect here the price God placed on your life and what Jesus endured to pay for your sin, your errors, your mistakes, and then begin today NEW!




 
Undoubtedly, one of the cruelest and most humiliating forms of punishment in the ancient world was, according to ancient sources, crucifixion. The Jewish historian Josephus best described it following the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 66-70 as "the most wretched of deaths."1 Whereas in Seneca's Epistle 101 to Lucilius, he argues that suicide is preferable to the cruel fate of being put on the cross.

 THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty. At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, for unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus was nailed to the cross by His hands and feet, rather than tied... Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails were driven into His wrist. Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder.
The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the Wrist, that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself, so that He could breathe. Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the
single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His
legs for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back and using his legs just to continue to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage. Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds. From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to
His side... But do we remember the many wounds made to his body. A hammer driving large nails through the wrists, the feet overlapped and a nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear.
And... before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe
that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard
ripped from His face. The crown of thorns (two to three inch thorns) cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture. He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His  wounds.The human adult body contains about 5 liters (just over a gallon) of blood. Jesus poured all 5 liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His body; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond  that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His chest.. All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight, to which His hands were nailed). Jesus had to endure this experience, so that you may have free access to God. So that your sins can be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception!
Don't ignore this. JESUS CHRIST DIED...FOR YOU!
For you, who now read this e-mail. Do not believe that He only died for others (those who go to church or for pastors, bishops, etc). He died for you!
Sometimes we feel ashamed to share a message about Him with others. We are worried of what they may think. Accept the reality, the truth, that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD. God has special plans for YOU!
Share this and your new found faith within the pages of your scrapbook!
How do you feel about what He went through to save you. Give your pages some indepth thought.  May God bless you!
All you have to do is: Make the effort, begin by praying for the loved ones in yor family who still need to hear the gospel, Then begin to share the storym, you can do that within the pages of your scrapbooks.  This message will begin to reach people who are flipping through your scrapbooks. The message will impact people, they will begin praying for you and you will encourage many people to pray to God for others.  Take a moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, as you do what pleases Him. Please, follow Jesus' instructions. He said (Matthew 10:32 & 33): "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before My Father in heaven; but whosoever denies Me before others, I also will deny before My Father in heaven". If you believe,send this message... But send it only if you believe in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Yes, I love God. He is my source of life and my Savior. He keeps me alive and safe, both day and night. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me". Philippians 4:13.