A GOOD FRIDAY INDEED!

Hebrews 7:22 Because of this oath, JESUS HAS BECOME THE GUARANTEE OF A BETTER COVENANT.

Today, 2000 years ago…everything changed! No…it wasn’t just change for something new and evolving. But it was a change for eternity. A change which the devil in all his wit and schemes hasn’t seen it coming. No…there was no revolution or insurrection. But…there was a PUBLIC OUTRAGE.

Luke 23:18-20 With ONE VOICE they cried out, ‘Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us! (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, ‘CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!”

And in EXCHANGE for Barabbas…Jesus went to the Cross. And yes…in EXCHANGE FOR YOU AND ME…Jesus went to the Cross. Jesus went to the cross bearing our sin and become our atonement. Therefore, that Friday 2000 years ago become a GOOD FRIDAY INDEED. And today, as we remember that day, I leave you with these words of assurance for your salvation.

TONIGHT…I WILL RECLINE AT HIS TABLE

Luke 22:14 When the HOUR came, Jesus and his apostles RECLINED AT THE TABLE.

RECLINE is defined as: TO REST in a leaning position.

Tonight, the Christian church all over the world will remember…and some will come to RECLINE AT THE TABLE in remembrance of OUR LORD’S LAST SUPPER with His disciples. But let me paint the picture of Jesus’ Passover meal. First, we have to understand what the PASSOVER MEAL represented before that day.

Deuteronomy 16:3 Do not eat it with BREAD made with YEAST, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, THE BREAD OF AFFLICTION, because you left Egypt in hast_ so that all the days of your life you may REMEMBER the time of your departure from Egypt.

The YEAST represents: pain, slavery, UNREST, hard labor and in essence Egypt…that is human works.

Psalm 127:2 It is VAIN for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the BREAD OF SORROWS; for he gives His beloved sleep.

A SIFTING AND A BETRAYAL

Luke 22:3 Then SATAN ENTERED Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.
Luke 22:31 ‘Simon, Simon, SATAN HAS ASKED to sift you as wheat.

TWO MEN….Judas, the Iscariot and Simon Peter. Three years earlier, before Jesus entered the scene, they were just ordinary men. One was a fisherman at the shores of Galilee and the other, nothing much is said about him before then. But here there are,…three years on sitting with a man called Jesus of Nazareth…whom they have come to love, revere and have deep admiration for. Yes…here at the table of communion. The Lord’s heart is deeply troubled. Yes…because the time has come…THE TIME which His Father had been waiting for. To glorify His Son through a death…DEATH ON THE CROSS.

But while Jesus knows that His death is imminent, His heart is also deeply troubled by the fate of two men…men who had been part of His team. Men…who had shared bread at His dinner table, listened to His sermons and teachings, men who had witnessed great miracles. And yet…these two men, Judas, the Iscariot and Simon Peter has something else in common which the Lord knows about: SATAN’S PLANS WITH THEIR LIVES.

WITHOUT JESUS I AM DONE!

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.

When one because a Christian…the Lord by and large expects us to bear fruit….righteous fruit. But how as a child of God are you sure that your fruit is borne out of the Spirit or out of self-ambition?

After surfing around the Internet for awhile this morning, I felt really disturbed about one blog which seems to be specialized at looking deeper and scrutinizing every big ministry name out there. And while, it seems the person is very well researched and conversant with some of the ministries mentioned, I still felt really disturbed about it. For one, it made me wonder. How is it possible for one person…to be able to have such deeper and inside knowledge of ministries which are far and wide…some of which are overseas. And based on this knowledge, make some quick assumptions that these ministries are ‘off the mark.’ But, then again…I remember without JESUS, I AM DONE. These were Jesus’ words to His disciples when He sent them out:

Matthew 10:16 I am sending you out like sheep among the wolves. Therefore be shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

The sad thing about it is,

DUST YOUR SHOES

Mark 6:9-11 Wear SANDALS but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, SHAKE THE DUST OFF your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.

Dust on my shoes? Are you kidding me? Dusty shoes for the modern, urbanized western man is something which is but a rare occasion. But not for me. Having grown up and spent most of my life in Africa, dust on the shoes is a familiar everyday scenario, which tells the untold story of the traveler. In Jesus’ earthly life, dust too on SANDALED FEET also represented