The Passion................

Um, lemme see.... ahhh, what is this week?  I think there is some holiday this weekend.  What is it?

Oh, yeah, it's Easter!  Spring, new beginning, flowers, candy, new outfits.... ahhhh, nooooo!

We celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ's death and resurrection this week!!!  In my opinion and that of many millions of followers of Jesus Christ, Easter is the most cataclysmic event in the history of the world.  This celebration, this week and this weekend is what God prophesied about in the beginning of our world.

Genesis 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Man and woman chose to disobey God in the garden of Eden.  Eve says she was deceived, but she 'decided/chose' to disobey.  Man said 'the woman... she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it..', but, he 'decided/chose' to eat it.  They chose to disobey God.  But this next verse is why we celebrate Easter;

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."  Way back in the Garden, God gave us a glimpse of what would happen on Easter.  Satan thought and thinks that he can thwart God's plan for man.  He connives and deceives and lies and confuses in order to get man to disobey God, to deny God, to 'choose', to walk away from God.  Satan's later plan was to thwart Jesus as he walked towards his destiny; to be the living sacrifice for our disobedience. 

Matthew 4:3-5 (read the whole chapter)

3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you (Jesus) are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. (for the next round of temptation to give up his destiny as the Messiah, Redeemer, Lord.)

Jesus was crucified after Satan deceived the Jewish rulers and the Romans.  It seemed that Satan had defeated Jesus (struck his heel), but Jesus' resurrection defeated Satan instead.  Jesus was killed, but God raised him to sit on the throne at the right hand of God where he reigns even today and forever.  So, Jesus 'crushed his (Satan's) head'.

And we are free to believe in Him, to worship Him, to serve Him because;

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  1 John 5

Once again, the route of the problem of our America is that we DO NOT BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD. 

Take time to worship Him during this week and weekend.

Amen

Bill/Dad