March 29, 2023
Greetings:
As we prepare to celebrate the Passion of Jesus Christ, we are to remember the horrific acts that He endured for the benefit of humanity. Words cannot express the mental and psychological anguish Jesus endured prior to the physical punishment He experienced to pay our sin debt to satisfy the justice of God (1Jn. 2:2). You and I can never comprehend the agony of Our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, of God and man in one person coming face to face with death. Think about the fact that Gethsemane and Calvary are the gateway for you and me to experience eternal life.
Jesus came to this earth to die for us but when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane His concern was to get through the struggle solely as the Son of Man. Satan returned to attack Jesus’ humanity because when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Luke 4:13 the devil departed from Him until a more opportune time. Satan attacked Jesus in Gethsemane while He was fulfilling His destiny as the Savior of the world and a triumph for the Son of Man (Matt.26:36-40).
What Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross made it possible for all humanity to experience a right standing with God. The very purpose that Christ came to earth was to redeem us from sin and He was our Kinsman Redeemer because He was sinless (1Cor. 5:21, Lev. 25:25).
Jesus Christ did not just die for us on calvary, He rose from the dead to convey His life to us. John tells us, but as many have received Him to them, He gave the power to become children of God (John 1:12). When Jesus rose from the dead He rose to a new life, and we receive His risen life (Ephesians 2:6). As a result of being adopted into His family, and just as Christ was raised from the dead we are to walk in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4). We can never thank Jesus Christ enough for this new life that we have. However,if we say that we love Him because of His sacrificial death for us then we must be obedient to His voice (John 14:15). That is His every Word of God (Heb. 4:12). Sister Lattimore and I wish you a Happy Easter. God bless you and we love you. Pastor Vernon Lattimore
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