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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Friday, April
7, 2023
Good
Friday
"Three
Crosses"
Message
summary:
This
week we
"consider
Him who
endured such
opposition
from sinful
men." This
Good Friday
let us,
through faith
with thankful
hearts, accept
God's only
solution for
our sin
problem, His
all sufficient
merit. Let us
faithfully
live for the
One who died
for us.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"When
they came to
the place
called the
Skull, there
they crucified
Him, along
with the
criminals--one
on His right,
the other on
His left"
(Luke 23:33).
Walking
into our
church
sanctuary this
last Sunday we
were blessed
at the sight
of three large
crosses at the
back of the
platform.
Normally
Christians use
a single cross
as a symbol of
their faith
but the three
crosses also
have rich
symbolism as a
reminder of
the three
crosses on
Mount Calvary.
Jesus, crucified on the middle cross, vicariously dying for the sins of all mankind. Two criminals, representative of the human race, hung on crosses at each side of Him. These three crosses each represent: 1)
The cross of
rejection.
One criminal
represents the
masses that to
the very end
rebel against
God and reject
His plan of
redemption.
But rarely is
such sneering
so openly
expressed, and
this by a
dying man as
he hurled
insults at
Christ. This
unnamed
criminal is
merely
expressing the
viewpoint of
so many who
reject God's
only remedy
for our sin
problem. This
criminal died
in his sin.
2) The cross of repentance. The other criminal represents those who repent of their sins and place their faith in God's redemptive plan. This criminal came to realize that he and the other lawbreaker deserved the penalty and was quite frank when he spoke: "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong" (Luke 23:41). His faith is humbly expressed in these words: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom". Our Lord's word to this criminal, one of His seven recorded last sayings, brought eternal hope to the repentant criminal as well as spiritual hope to millions throughout the centuries, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise". This criminal died to his sin. 3) The cross of redemption. On the middle cross Christ died once for all time for all people. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" (Ephesians 1:7). "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:19,20). Peter, a witness to these things, stated, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust" (1 Peter 3:18a). Our Savior died for our sin. "The man in the middle just keeps on giving His love away" (Wayne Watson). Today is a day of decision. Truth be told, everyday is a day of decision. For
many of us it
will be a decision
of
reaffirmation
to follow
Christ that we
previously
made whether
it was in
recent years
or at a very
early age. In
our case it
was over 50
years ago.
Till our dying
breath we
aspire to
proclaim, "I
Still
Believe!"
This evening
at our Good
Friday service
we will
remember and
worship our
Redeemer. We
will remember
Christ's
supreme
sacrifice on
the Cross of
Calvary, and
even more
poignantly as
we partake of
the communion
elements.
But for others this can be the day you move from indifference or rejection to repentance through faith in the Great Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The cross of redemption was singularly accomplished by Jesus Christ. Our only hope is His all sufficient merit. Here's
life' most
important
question: Are
you living
your life in
rejection of
Christ or in
repentance?
Let us, like
the repentant
criminal,
acknowledge
that "we
are punished
justly, for we
are getting
what our deeds
deserve. But
this man has
done nothing
wrong"
(Luke 23:41).
This Good Friday let us, through faith with thankful hearts, accept God's only solution for our sin problem. Let us faithfully live for the One who died for us. All
sufficient
merit shining
like the sun
A fortune I inherit by no work I have done My righteousness I forfeit at my Savior's cross Where all sufficient merit did what I could not Stephen
and Brooksyne
Weber
![]() Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental
Resources
"All
Sufficient
Merit"
Click
to listen on
YouTube
Shane and
Shane
It
is done, it is
finished
No more debt I owe Paid in full, all sufficient Merit now my own The
phrase "All
Sufficient
Merit" to the
best of my
study ability
first appears
in a song by
Charles Wesley
often sung
during advent.
Can you
identify it?
(See below
after last
photo for
answer.)
"Thank
You Jesus for
the Blood"
Click
to listen on
YouTube
Click
to listen on
YouTube
Charity
Gayle (I
look forward
to hearing our
choir lead in
this song
during our
Good Friday
service this
evening.)
"Man
In The Middle"
Click
to listen on
YouTube
Wayne
Watson A
"contemporary"
song we recall
from the 80's
and also a
contemporary
in ministry as
he was born in
1954, same as
Stephen.
(We
are posting
this
information
all through
Holy Week)
The
four gospels
cover the life
of Christ, a
period of
about 33
years. Most of
this material
deals with the
3˝ year period
of His
ministry.
However an
astounding 30
of the 89
accumulative
chapters in
the gospels
deal with the
period from
Christ's
triumphal
entry through
His
resurrection
and
post-resurrection
appearances.
Mathematically
this means
that
approximately
33% of the
written
material in
the gospels
deals with a
mere .05%
period of His
life! In the
providence of
God we have a
much greater
proportion of
material
dealing with
God's greatest
act of mercy
in providing
our
redemption.
Here's an interesting chart from the Life Application Study Bible that may be helpful as you study the Bible during this time. It sure helps me to have a sense of when the events took place and is inspiring to read these Scriptures in the daily sequence leading up to Easter. Sunday Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19 Monday Jesus Clears the Temple: Mt. 21:12,13; Mk. 11:15-17; Lk. 19:45,46 Tuesday/Wednesday Jesus'
authority
challenged in
the temple:
Mt. 21:23-27;
Mk. 11:27-33;
Lk. 20:1-8
Jesus teaches stories and confronts the Jewish leaders: Mt. 21:28-23:36; Mk. 12:1-40; Lk. 20:9-47 Greeks ask to see Jesus: Jn. 12:20-26 The Olivet Discourse: Mt. 24; Mk. 13; Lk. 21:5-38 Judas agrees to betray Jesus: Mt. 26:14-16; Mk. 14:10,11; Lk. 22:3-6 Thursday The Last Supper: Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25; Lk. 22:14-20 Jesus speaks to the disciples in the upper room: Jn. 13-17 Jesus struggles in Garden of Gethsemane: Mt. 26:36-46; Mk. 14:32-42; Lk. 22:39-46; Jn. 18:1 Jesus is betrayed and arrested: Mt. 26:47-56; Mk. 14:43-52; Lk. 22:47-53; Jn. 18:2-12 Friday Jesus is tried by Jewish and Roman authorities and disowned by Peter: Mt. 26:57-27:2, 11-31; Mk. 14:53-15:20; Lk. 22:54-23:25; Jn. 18:13-19:16 Jesus is crucified and buried: Mt. 27:31-56; Mk. 15:20-41; Lk. 23:26-49; Jn. 19:17-30 Sunday The glorious resurrection: Mt. 28:1-10; Mk. 16:1-11; Lk. 24:1-12; Jn. 20:1-18 Today
we share
several photos
taken this
week in our
rural area.
![]() Sheep
scattered here
and there as
they graze on
a broad hill
on Grandview
Road north of
Mount
Joy. (Psalm
23:2)
Click
on photo to
enlarge
![]() Amish
farm near the
Lancaster/Lebanon
County line on
Harvest Road.
We
have quite a
contrast in
farming
methods on our
relatively
short road.
Yesterday
we saw our
Amish neighbor
plowing with a
mule. Leon
works for a
farm equipment
dealership who
has the latest
power and time
saving
equipment.
Click
on photo to
enlarge
The
phrase "All
Sufficient
Merit" to the
best of my
study first
appeared in
Charles
Wesley's song,
"Come Thou
Long Expected
Jesus" most
often sung
during Advent.
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want to thank
all who
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support our
ministry this
past year (and
some for many
years!). We
realize there
are many fine
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this time but
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information
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world. ![]() ![]() Thank
you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Daily
Encouragement on:
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