Rejoice, lift up your voice, Christ has risen from the dead.
In the words of Rev. E. V. Hill, “Sundays’ Comin!”
Resurrection Sunday is the focal point of God’s plan of salvation.
It is the centrality of God’s mind regarding the reconciliation of His creation.
All that was lost through the original sin of Adam has been regained through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Christ, who knew no sin, has become sin for humanity, so that humanity could become the restored unto its Creator. God, Himself, was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.
I recommend that you listen to the ‘Easter Song’, sung by The Second Chapter of Acts. It will bless you.
One of the joys that I experience when reading or even when thinking is when an acronym pops into my mind for a word. Sometimes I struggle trying to make an acronym and at other times they come very easily.
Many times, I believe the Holy Spirit brings acronyms to my attention when writing or when I am thinking about a subject or passage of scripture.
Today (March 23,2024), I read the Book of Joel. An acronym came to mind, so I wrote it down.
J.O.E.L.: Jesus Offers Eternal Life.
There can be other possibilities like: Jesus Obtained Eternal Life.
The point is that such acronyms help me and, I believe, assist others in recognizing and remembering certain truths from scripture.
I do not know where my study or reading of the Book of Joel is ultimately headed; but when I finished reading the text, I said to God, the Father, “There is too much in Joel to absorb.”
Continuing, “Holy Spirit help me to read, to understand, to see, and to hear what You are saying to the Church today through this prophet. (emphasis mine)
The bottom line is that I want to see Jesus, and come to know Him more fully from this text.
I chose to read this text because last night as I was settling in to go to sleep; the thought came to mind that “old men will dream dreams”. So I said, “Lord, I am an old man, so that includes me.”
That became the impetus for reading the Book of Joel this morning.
After reading the text, writing down some notes, and trying to make some semblance out of what the text was saying without looking at a commentary, I decided to read from my Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. Turning to Joel, I saw that I had visited this passage of scripture on several occasions. I had even dated the times when I read it previously. After going over notes that I had written in the Study Bible, years earlier; I turned to the introduction of Joel that outlines basic information about its author, the dating of its writing, its historical period, the Person of Christ, and the Person of the Holy Spirit.
The paragraph on the Person of the Holy Spirit said something that really awakened me.
I think this is where I may be headed at a later date; but today, let me begin with the setting of the scene of that comments observation.
On the day of Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection, there was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem that Jesus had told them to wait in for the promise of the Father.
From wordoflife.co.uk, Words of Life Ministries, Study 2, Waiting For The Promise of the Father, by Francis Dixon, the following is outlined.
“The Promise of the Father was the promise that the Holy Spirit would come at Pentecost to do a distinctive work in the lives of all Christians; it was a promise relating to this period of time in which we are living, the Dispensation of the Spirit, the Church Age.
1. It was given through the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32).
2. It was proclaimed by John the Baptist(John 1:29-34).
3. It was referred to by the Lord Himself (John 7:37-39; John 14:16-17; John 15:26; John 16:6-7 and 13-14; and Acts 1:8.
4. It was anticipated by the Lord after the Resurrection (John 20:22).
5. It was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4).
I continue.
Now what? The fulfillment has come. Those in the upper room are filled with the Holy Spirit. There are those that have witnessed what has taken place and they are both confused and inquisitive.
So, Peter, ‘steps up to the microphone’!
What did Peter proclaim to those who witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit when they “…were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other, “What does this mean?” Others, poking fun, were saying, “They are full of sweet new wine!” ” (Acts 2:12-13, Tree of Life Version)
Let’s read what Peter said:
“But Peter, standing with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: Fellow Judeans and all who are staying in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. These men are not drunk, as you suppose–for it’s only the third hour of the day! But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel: “And it shall be in the last days’ , says God, ‘that I will pour out My Ruach (Spirit) on all flesh, Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even on My slaves, male and female, I will pour out My Ruach (Spirit) in those days, and they shall prophesy. And I will give wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth beneath–blood and fire, and smoky vapor. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious Day of Adonai (YHWH, the LORD) comes. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of Adonai shall be saved. Men of Israel, hear these words! Yeshua ha-Natzrati (Jesus of Nazareth)-a man authenticated to you by God with mighty deeds and wonders and signs God performed through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know–this Yeshua (Jesus), given over by God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge, nailed to the cross by the hand of lawless men, you killed. But God raised Him up, releasing Him from the pains of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held by it.” (Acts 2:17-24, TLV) (inserts mine)
I suggest that you re-read Peter’s last two sentences again, starting with ‘Men of Israel…’
Peter has summarized what had taken place 50 days earlier in Jerusalem in the midst of the Passover celebration; but in reality these words were laid out before the foundation of the world. (See Ephesians 1,2)
Reading the Book of Joel this morning, and being forwarded to Acts 2, I, we, have been brought face to face with the four words found in the acronym:
Jesus Offers Eternal Life.
The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost aroused people’s attention. Peter referenced the coming of the Holy Spirit in the context of what Joel had prophesied.
This opened the door to preach Christ. (Please read Acts 2:14-36)
The testimony that Peter preached is based upon the truth that Jesus is the Lamb of God. The history of the Feast of Passover, the killing of a lamb, the use of the lamb’s blood, was instituted in the land of Egypt, the night of the tenth plague, in which God said that there would be the death of the firstborn in each household. God’s grace was that when His death angel saw the ‘blood of the lamb’ applied to the lintel of the door, the death angel would ‘passover’ that household and the firstborn of the household would not be killed. (See Exodus 12-13) (emphasis mine)
Let us reflect upon the Word of God during this Passion Week in which Jesus, the Lamb of God, has entered Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. During this week, He will be betrayed by Judas, arrested, mocked, ridiculed, beaten (see Isaiah 53 ), condemned to death because He claimed to be the king of the Jews, crucified as a criminal, die on the cross, be buried, and after three days raised from the dead, just as He said it would happen. (See Matthew 21-28) (emphasis mine)
In the natural, all of these things happened just as the law and the prophets had prophesied. We know that the Word of God is not just natural but spiritual. What seems to be natural outcomes in the lives of the many of those involved with Jesus are significantly more profound that they imagine.
Mankind’s history is God’s story of His plan of salvation. It is all spiritually significant.
“In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.” (John 1:1-5, Tree of Life Version)
“Now this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you–that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him and keep walking in darkness, we are lying and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of His Son, Yeshua (Jesus) purifies us from all sin.” (I John 1:5-7, TLV) (insert mine)
“Yeshua (Jesus) spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows Me will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12 TLV) (insert mine)
“The next day, John (the Baptist) sees Yeshua (Jesus) coming to him and says, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the One about whom I told you…” (John 1:29, TLV) (insert, emphasis mine)
“And the next(the following) day, John (the Baptist) was standing with two of his disciples, and watched Yeshua (Jesus) walking by. He (John the baptist) said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Yeshua (Jesus). (John 1:25-37, TLV) (inserts, emphasis mine)
Fast forward to The Revelation.
“And in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, I(the Apostle John, who wrote the Gospel of John) saw a Lamb standing, as having been slain…And they are singing a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. For You were slain, and by Your blood You redeemed for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them for our God a kingdom and kohanim (priests), and they shall reign upon the earth. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creature and the elders–their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. They were chanting with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and blessing.” And I heard every creature in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and one the sea and everything in them, responding, “To the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power forever and ever!” And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.” (Revelation 5″6a, 9-14, TLV) (inserts, emphasis mine)
Where did these myriads upon myriads come from?
“Therefore, having been made righteous by trusting , we have shalom (peace) with God through our Lord Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah (Christ). Through Him we also have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and boast in the hope of His glory. And not only that, but we also boast in suffering–knowing that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, character: and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) who was given to us. For while we were still helpless , at the right time Messiah (Christ) died for the ungodly. For rarely will anyone die for a righteous man–though perhaps for a good man some might even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah (Christ) died for us. How much more then, having now been set right by His blood, shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him. For if, while we were yet enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, shall we be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah (Christ), through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:1-11 TLV) (inserts, emphasis mine)
On the day of Pentecost, when Peter concluded his preaching about Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection. The scripture says:
“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the emissaries (apostles), “Fellow brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be immersed (water baptized) in the name of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) for the removal of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach ha-Kedesh (Holy Spirit). For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away–as many as Adonai (Yahweh, the LORD)our God calls to Himself.” With many other words he warned them and kept urging them, saying, “Save yourselves from this twisted generation!” So those who received his message were immersed, and that day about three thousand souls were added.” (Acts 2:37-41 TLV) (inserts, emphasis mine)
This is the A,B,C’s of salvation: Atonement=repent of your sin, be forgiven by the blood of Jesus; Baptism in water=immersed, identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; Comforter=gift of the Holy Spirit (See John 14-16)
Today, as I finish this post, it is Wednesday of Passion Week.
This Friday is Good Friday, the day when Jesus was crucified;
On Sunday, Christ’s Resurrection is remembered and celebrated.
It is the day to proclaim that “He is Risen”, and to respond that “He is Risen, Indeed”.
For a believer, celebrating the Resurrection of Christ is a joyful experience; however, the Resurrection of Christ is more than a one day event.
As a believer, in Christ, I live on the other side of the cross. I am standing on Resurrection ground.
The ‘work of the cross’ is finished.
How do we know that is true? Because Jesus said it was: (See John 19:30)
“When Yeshua tasted the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (TLV, emphasis mine)
As a believer, the tomb is empty and I am focused on following Christ, and learning to embrace the ‘way of the cross’. (See Galatians 2:19-20)
It is probable that someone who is reading this post is not a believer in Christ, or is not sure of their relationship to Christ.
I encourage you to ask yourself if you know Christ as your personal Savior. Have you called upon the Name of the Lord to be saved?
Have you realized your need for Christ to be your Passover Lamb?
Do you see yourself as a sinner in need of a Savior?
Do you understand that you are separated from God, the Father, because of your sin?
Do you realize that God, the Father, loves you very much; sent His Son to die for you, and is longing for you to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin; to believe in your heart, that Jesus was raised from the dead, and be saved, by calling on the name of the Lord.
Like Peter, on the day of Pentecost, I urge you to accept Christ and be saved from this’ twisted generation’. (emphasis mine)
Consider this:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son (as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world) that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting (eternal) life. (John 3:16) (inserts, emphasis mine)
Consider this too!
“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace through the blood of His cross–whether things on earth or things in heaven!” (Colossians 1:19-20, TLV, emphasis mine)
The message of Easter is that Jesus, is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.
That claim is validated by His resurrection.
God did that for you!
blessings, a follower of Christ, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 