Barabbas or Jesus?

Barabbas or Jesus?

Scripture:

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. ¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” ¹⁴ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” ¹⁸ For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered.²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Observation:

The Lord is brought before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, and remains silent in spite of the many accusations of the chief priests and the elders. Pilate is puzzled at the Lord’s silence, with no reply to even a single charge. Politically shrewd, Pilate is also quickly aware that it is from their own self interest that the Jewish leaders have handed Jesus over.

Finding no reason at all for Jesus to be killed, Pilate seeks to find a way to release Jesus. This intention is further strengthened when Pilate’s own wife issues him an urgent message not to have anything to do with hurting this innocent man.

Using the normal custom to release a prisoner of the crowd’s choice during the festival, Pilate offers to release Jesus or Barabbas, a well known murderer. Under normal circumstances, no one in the right mind would vote to release the murderer. However, the crowd, incited by the Pharisees, has become bloodthirsty and chooses Barabbas instead, being insistent on crucifying Jesus.

Pilate continues to try and reason with the crowd, asking them what crime Jesus has committed.  However the Jewish crowd only shouts louder “Crucify him, crucify him”. Afraid of having to deal with a riot, the cowardly governor finally gives in, washing his hands before them, and declaring himself innocent of Jesus’ blood which is wholly their responsibility. Horrifyingly, they declare “let his blood be on us and our children”. If they only knew what horrors their descendants would have to face in the Crusades, in the Soviet Union, and in the Holocaust where 6 million Jews were killed. In the last days, when the Anti-Christ takes control of the world, Jews will again be massacred and this will only end when the Lord comes again in His Second Coming.

Application:-

Looking at the way the events unfolded, everything pointed to the Jews being solely responsible for the arrest and murder of Jesus, their own Savior who came to save them. The Gentiles, though, as the tools used to execute the Lord are not guiltless too for it is their hands and tools that nailed the Lord to the cross and hung him there to die most gruesomely. How incredible the paradox, that as the human race, we killed God our Savior while He shed His blood to save us and give us eternal life. Indeed, He died for us while we were still His enemies, and therein lies the great mystery of God’s incredible love for us, that no one can fathom.

The incidence of Barabbas is also of no coincidence. The late Derek Prince once shared how he was meditating on the crucifixion where there were 3 crosses on a hill, with the central cross higher than the other two. The Holy Spirit asked him “For whom was the central cross made? Think before you answer”. Derek thought for a moment and said “It was made for Barabbas, but at the last minute Jesus took his place”. “So Jesus took Barabbas place, but you have said that Jesus took your place” the Holy Spirit continued. “Yes he did” Derek responded and the Holy Spirit concluded “Then you must be Barabbas”.  At that moment, Derek saw it with absolute clarity. He was exactly the criminal for whom the cross was prepared. It was made to his measure. It was exactly where he should have been.

Each one of us was destined to die on the cross, just like Barabbas. Every part of our personality is sinful, corrupted by our sinful desires. However, Jesus took our place. He suffered and died for us that we might escape death and live. What does it mean to take up one’s cross? One aspect of it has to do with the recognition that Jesus has died on our cross for us. With that knowledge, how then shall we live life? How other than to live for the Lord who took the place of suffering and death for us……. We were bought at a price at very great cost. How then can we go on and deliberately live sinful lives or lives of disobedience knowing what Jesus died for us?

Prayer:

 We praise You, Lord Jesus, for You took our place. Like Barabbas, we were destined to die on a cross made specifically for us, for the punishment of our sins. But You came and took our place. You saved us from death. You saved us from the fire. Even while we were Your enemies, You loved us and gave Yourself for us! How could we ever take You for granted O Lord? Forgive our sins we pray. Give us fresh passion to serve and worship You, out of the gratitude we should have in our hearts. Praise be Your name forever, Lord Jesus. We praise You and worship You. In Jesus name, Amen.

Overwhelmed with sorrow for our sake

Overwhelmed with sorrow for our sake

Scripture:

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Matthew 26:36-38

Observation:

In the famous garden of Gethsemane, we see the Lord’s last moments of intense prayer before He goes on to be arrested and killed. Peter, James and John, His inner circle, accompany him, but they fail in their attempt to keep watch with Jesus. His soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.

Humanly, if we imagined ourselves in Jesus’ place, we would be terrified of the terrible physical pain that was about to be inflicted upon us. However, it was not fear or anxiety that the Lord felt but incredible sorrow. The pain on the cross itself seems the most terrible to us at first, but that is only on the physical.

Spiritually, the Lord would become the guilt offering, become sin itself as the sins of the world past, present and future was laid upon Him who had no sin. We cannot begin to imagine how terrible it must have been to feel and experience every wicked and horrible sin mankind had ever committed and would commit all at once on the cross.

The great horror of the multitude of sins was so intense that God the Father was forced to turn away from His only beloved Son. Indeed, compared to that, the physical pain was trivial. That’s why Jesus felt such great sorrow, for He knew that as the sins were placed on Him, He would become separated from His beloved Father. Their union that had always been since the beginning of time would be severed in that instant and we simply could not comprehend the intensity of grief and pain that separation would cause Jesus, even in that short time.

 We are creatures subject to time. Once we pass a moment, it is history. We quickly forget and move on to the future. However, to God, who is timeless, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. That faithful day at Gethsemane and later at Golgotha changed everything in the earthly and heavenly realms, and opened up the way for man to come back to God. Everything of importance in all history from a spiritual sense now all goes back to that faithful day. Praise be to the Lord!

Application:-

Consider the Son of God, pure and holy in every way, being completely defiled by all the evil sins of mankind as He hung on the cross – He had no sin bearing all the punishment and consequence of all sins, He who had never been separated from the Father being forced to break this precious eternal communication for our sake. We shudder at the horrors of the physical suffering of the Lord’s body at the cross, but far more precious was His sacrifice of bearing our sins spiritually. Far, fare more precious was His sacrifice of having His Father turn away from Him, having lost that connection of perfect love with His Father for those moments.

But the Lord did all this our of love for us. Both God the Father and God the Son willingly severed their precious eternal bond of love for that moment, so that we might be included. How truly precious is the salvation that He has granted us! How wonderfully precious is the access He has given us to come back to God, to be adopted into God’s wonderful family. We deserved nothing at all, but the Lord sacrificed Himself for us. It was His grace, His truly amazing grace. How ill-deserving we are as a human race. Yet, His marvelous and incomprehensible sacrifice has saved us!

Let us never lose that deep gratitude for our Lord, who suffered such deep sorrow for our sake. Let that deep gratitude inspire and lead us to serve Him more and more in even greater measure, and especially in desiring others to share in our great salvation!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, how marvelous indeed Your great sacrifice for us! You suffered not just physically, but emotionally and mentally and especially spiritually. How could you who detested all sin carry on yourself all the terrible sins of humanity? How heavy and horrible that burden must have been. How terrible indeed to have our Father turn His face from you. We quickly become concerned for a young baby crying when separated from his mother. How great Your sorrow must have been in knowing You would lose connection with  Your Father whom You always were with before time. O Lord, let me never take for granted Your great sacrifice and suffering. Lead me, Lord to live a life worthy of Your calling. Praise You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Thirty pieces of silver

Thirty pieces of silver

Scripture

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Matthew 26:14-16

Observation:

Right after the anointing of Jesus by the sinful woman, Matthew now gives the account of Judas Iscariot going over to the chief priests and asking for a reward to betray Jesus. The chief priests are delighted and count out for him thirty pieces of silver, which was equivalent to 4 months wages for a skilled laborer. From that time one, Judas was on the look out for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them.

The character of Judas Iscariot has long been a source of mystery and intrigue through the ages. Traitor of traitors… How could he betray the Master who specially chose him from the crowds to be one of only twelve close disciples? How could he after seeing all the miracles and hearing all the teachings of Jesus even consider to betray Him? How could he not believe Jesus is the Son of God after all those experiences?

What caused his downfall? The first obvious answer would be greed. Judas, being the treasurer of the funds donated for the Lord’s ministry would often help himself to the monies. Somehow, he let money become his god, and ultimately, when he saw money being wasted on devout worship to His master, something snapped, and he decided he had enough of following the Lord. Calculative as ever, he reasoned he should at least get one final bribe by betraying His master and proceeded to see the Chief Priests.

Some theologians surmise that Judas had expected Jesus to overthrow the Roman government and become the ruler there and then. Naturally, he expected great riches to also follow, being one of those close to Jesus. Along the way, with all the talk of the Lord going to Jerusalem to die, he must have become increasingly irritated and despaired that he had wasted so much time following someone destined to fail and die. He did not understand. He was disappointed, disillusioned, and ultimately lost his faith.

Application:

It is easy to condemn Judas Iscariot, but the truth is, we all have a part of us that is just like him. Naturally, we all want more – more money, more comfort, more entertainment. God allowed King Solomon to feed his greed and he accumulated and experienced everything he could under the sun. In the end, he concluded that it was all meaningless. Judas started off by small sins, siphoning off a little here, a little there. He thought no one knew. He thought people did not know his secret sins. The sin started small, but grew and grew until it culiminated in ultimate betrayal. Beware the little foxes. When their tails catch fire, they can burn up the whole field!

Prayer:

We praise You and love You, Lord, for Your great love for us. You chose us as we are, in spite of our weaknesses. Help us O Lord, and keep us away from temptation, even the little foxes…… Let us be faithful and strong, and be true to You to the end. Protect us and keep us safe always we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.

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The thief on the cross

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:42-43

As the thief hung grimly on the cross next to Jesus, he cried to the Lord for mercy. He believed that Jesus was the Son of God. He believed that Jesus could save Him from his sins. He had lived a life of sin, and he even accepted that his punishment was deserved, but he still placed his hope on Jesus, and Jesus did save him. He was not saved because of his deeds, or even for defending Jesus. He was saved because of God’s grace alone, for God’s grace is extended to anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and asks Jesus to save him. Jesus said that there are treasures in Heaven for those who follow God’s will, and the apostle Paul speaks of a man who only just enters Heaven with nothing but the clothes on his back, like a man being saved from a fire. Still, we must realize that the least beggar in the kingdom of heaven is a million times better off than the richest man in hell. The importance is making it there at all. A man’s country can make all the difference, no matter how great a person is. In the US, a genius could quickly rise to greatness but in Sudan, he could just die of starvation like anyone else.

We dare not hope to be in the position of the thief at Jesus’ side, but while there is still breath in us, we must choose to seek Christ and to remain in Him, no matter what we have done in the past, no matter how long we have walked away from Him.

Jesus warns us that not all who call themselves Christians are truly Christians, and indeed many times, supposedly good Christians may disappoint or even horrify us. However, in the end, each one must be answerable to God on his own accord. Can we fall so far away that we cannot return to Jesus? No! The thief on the cross shows us that there is still hope, while there is breath in us. No matter our past, or how many times we have turned away from the Lord, we must come back to Him. As long as we have breath, God’s grace is still calling to us, and we dare not waste it. 

We must go to Him, and remain in Him, by constantly praying, reading His Word, seeking to find out how to follow His will. Following Christ unto salvation is to change direction to follow Jesus. Regardless of our past, as long as we keep going in the right direction, we will be saved.  It is far more important how we end than how we start. In any game, its useless to have a fine start but lose in the end.

Death parts loved ones for a moment, but only in Heaven, can family and loved ones be together again. God loves families, and it is His will that whole families be together with Him and share the joys of heaven together.

In closing, it is good for each one of us to examine our hearts, and recommit our lives to Jesus by saying this prayer.

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I have walked far away from you or let other people take my eyes away from you. Come back into my heart again I pray, and let Your Holy Spirit stay and lead me to Your presence and Your family all the way. Have mercy on me, a sinner, O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Story Of Easter

The Story Of Easter

On Sunday, millions of Christians all over the world celebrated Easter, the most important event in history to all of us. Millions flock to churches, grand presentations are performed, and songs of great joy are sung in countries everywhere by various people of different races, languages and cultures. However, what is Easter really all about? What’s this about Jesus, Easter eggs and bunnies? The following story could perhaps help us all gain a better understanding and appreciation of Easter….

Once upon a time, in a world far away, there lived a diverse people of many different colors, speech and customs, just like us. The people of this world lived happy, friendly lives, and all was well with the world and with each other. However, one day, everything changed…. A terrible, deadly virus broke out at a distant corner of the world, but soon spread like wildfire across the nations, infecting every man, woman, child and animal.

This virus was powerful and fatal once contracted, but curiously infected every individual to different degrees. Sometimes, the virus would dominate 1% of one man’s body, and 90% in another. However, it did not matter. Once infected, every person was destined to die – it was all a matter of time. Death had come into the world, and the whole world mourned because of it!

Yet, strangely, there was one small country which was spared from this disease. Upon hearing news of this deadly virus, the king of the country had immediately stopped all visitors from entering, and no one could come in or go out. The only safe place in all the world was in this small country, but no one on the outside had a hope of getting in.

However, the king was a kind and compassionate man and felt very sad for the millions of people dying outside his country. He called together all the scientists, doctors and wise man in his country, and asked them to do everything possible to find an antidote to fight this deadly virus. After hours of painstaking research and testing the blood of every citizen of the country for the right antibodies, the experts incredibly found a breakthrough! One man was found to have the right antibody in his blood. His blood had amazing properties, and somehow repelled the virus completely. The heart of the king rose with delight as the experts told him this good news.

“Wait, O King!” the experts said “It’s not that simple… The blood of this man can’t just be reproduced and it can’t be transfused as it is to someone else! There is only one way the antidote can be created….

“Go on”, the king said, expecting the worse. The experts continued hesitantly,” The virus must be injected into this man until it fills his body a 100%. Then, the blood of this man must be drained completely from his body. He will face terrible, unimaginable, excruciating pain and actually die for a short time. However, when we let his lifeblood flow into his body again, he will live again, and become a living antibody. Anyone that he touches will be cured of the deadly disease.”

As the king thought for a moment, wondering which man would be willing to endure such a terrible sacrifice, the experts said sadly,” There is one other thing, O King………

This man is your only son………”.

Shocked completely, the king turned away in great sadness. However, his precious prince stepped forward at that time and said to him, ”I am willing, my Father, let it be to me as they have said”. And so, the Crown Prince allowed himself to go through the entire process, crying in agony for hours upon hours because of the unbearable pain. Finally, the gentle Prince died, his sacrifice complete, but as his blood returned to his lifeless body, his loving heart begin to beat again.

Fully recovered, the Prince rose triumphantly, and immediately went to the Great Gate of his country. He touched all that came to him, healing them, and granting them admission to his safe country. Like his father, the Prince was kind and compassionate and did not turn away any, regardless of how badly the virus had infected anyone. He became the Savior of the world, and anyone who came to him was saved, and allowed to become a citizen of his lovely kingdom….

My friends, the Bible, the Word of God says that the salary of sin is death. This virus has indeed infected our world, and because of sin, we are all destined to die. It does not matter whether we sin much or we sin little. As long as we sin, our destiny is the same. It is only a matter of time.

However, for God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son that anyone who believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life… His Son’s name is Jesus, and like in the story, He died in unimaginable pain on the cross for our sins on Good Friday, but arose victoriously from the dead on Easter morning, becoming the Savior of the World. Because Jesus conquered death, we too have hope beyond this world. He said “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and he who lives and believes in me will never die.” That is why we celebrate Easter, that is why we celebrate our risen Lord Jesus. This is His promise, that He will never turn away anyone who comes to Him, but cleanse them from their sins and lead them into the marvelous kingdom of Heaven where they will live together with God truly happily ever after. Let us have faith and believe, for with God, nothing is impossible.

Let us celebrate Easter together, dear friends, and accept the Prince who died and rose again, becoming the Savior of the World!

God bless you and your family,

Jason

The Seven Sayings At the Cross

The Seven Sayings At the Cross

This Sunday, as we approached the celebration of Good Friday and Easter in the coming week, CDC had the honor of our own Pastor Micky give a powerful sermon on “The Seven Sayings At the Cross”, a special focus on the meaningful words uttered by our Lord Jesus Christ as He suffered such cruelty at the cross.

Each saying teaches us so much about the life and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(A) Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing

Even as they nailed the terrible nails into the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus, He did not curse his tormenters, but instead asked His Father to forgive them. His great mercy and forgiveness, to even those who wronged Him calls us to do likewise, not holding the sins of others against them, but asking the Lord to forgive them. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we truly need to cultivate the wonderful heart of forgiveness that the Lord had.

(B) I tell you the truth, today, you will be with me in Paradise.

At the cross, one of the thieves chose to defend Jesus at that terrible hour. His actions and words showed his faith, the belief in his heart that Jesus was truly the Messiah. The Lord answered Him with great compassion, today you will be with me in Paradise. Even at His death, the Lord still found the love and passion to bring in another sinner into the kingdom of God! We too need to rekindle in our hearts the Lord’s great passion for the lost, that we may love others as Jesus loved us, and seek the salvation of their souls!

(C) Dear woman, here is your son (to Mary), …here is your mother (to John)

Even in enduring great suffering, the Lord cared deeply for His family, and commissioned his beloved disciple John to care for her as his own mother. We need to cultivate this wonderful love and care that Jesus had not only in our own families, but also all the family of God!

(D) My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

As the sins of the world fell upon the shoulders of our Lord Jesus, the Father was forced to turn away, and in that moment, poor Lord Jesus felt completely alone, completely forsaken, and cried out in anguish to His Father in heaven. Throughout His life, our Lord Jesus was completely honest before His Father, pouring out His feelings and telling God exactly how He felt. We too need to learn to be honest like Jesus before God, opening our heart to Him and expressing our deepest thoughts and feelings. In all things, we must always understand that Jesus understands, for He endured all things, and suffered more than we could ever know.

(E) I thirst

After terrible hours of ordeal at the cross, the Lord was thirsty and He was not ashamed to admit so. His words showed the humanity and humility of Christ. Although He was equal to God, the Lord was willing to become a mere human mortal and suffer all that we suffer in our frail human bodies. Sometimes we become angry, and our pride rises as we think “I don’t deserve to be treated like this”, but when we look at the Lord, we can’t help be ashamed, for the Prince of Heaven, left all His glory, humbling himself to be a mere man for our sake. Let us learn to be humble like our Lord ….

(F) It is finished

Finally, the Lord knew that He had borne all the sins of the world and His ordeal was over. In a loud and triumphant voice, He cried “It is finished!” The Lord Jesus was true to His mission throughout His whole life, and His crucifixion was the climax of His entire purpose of coming to the world, to fulfill all righteousness. May the Lord help us too fulfill the destiny that He has planned for us with faithfulness, perseverance and hope in Him.

(G) Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit

As His final saying, the Lord committed His Spirit to His Father in Heaven. Our Lord trusted in God the Father completely and surrendered His Spirit to Him in complete faith. Let us too, who hold on to the Lord, trust in our God with all our heart and soul, trusting Him always, even till the day of our death. Let our hopes ever be upon Him.

God bless,

Jason

Saying	Application
Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing…	Forgiveness and mercy
I tell you the truth, today, you will be with me in Paradise	Passion for the lost
Dear woman, here is your son,….. here is your mother	Love and care
My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?	Honesty
I thirst	Humility
It is finished	Faithfulness
Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit	Trust

The Hope of Easter

The Hope of Easter

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have brother Lian Mun Yee share the Easter message from Acts Chapter 17:24-31.

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

The whole universe and everything in it was created by the mighty Creator God, but just as the universe has a beginning, it also will have an end. A third of the Bible speaks about what will happen. It is a prophetic book. And speaking of the final judgment, brother Lian shared with us that there are three things that we must be aware of.

Firstly, Judgment is decreed. God has set a day…. a day where every one of us will be judged. Every word and deed and thought will be brought to judgment. Life on earth is only a temporary assignment. We are not here for our own sakes, but we have purposes given by God, and after the time given to us, we will be judged. It is only a matter of time, and no one knows how long he is given.

Secondly, Judgment is defined. We will be judged by God’s standard of perfection and righteousness. If a common man shows disrespect against another common man, not much is thought of it. However, if a common man shows disrespect again the king, he may be killed or thrown into prison. We often do not realize the severity of our sins which offends God. Each one of us has an immortal soul, a soul that will live forever. The question is whether we will spend eternity in heaven or in hell, in eternal comfort and happiness or eternal sadness and suffering. 

Finally, Judgment is detailed. We will be judged by the man that God has appointed, the Lord Jesus Christ. Some men may claim that God is unfair to judge us, that He does not know how hard it is to live on this earth. However, he has appointed one of our own to judge us, for Jesus Christ was fully man. He felt what we felt, He suffered far more than anyone else has suffered. No one can stand before Jesus Christ on his own righteousness.

However, although all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, becoming destined for eternal death, God has provided a way for us because He loves us. God has provided His Son. He died for us that our sins may be forgiven, and God raised Him to life that we also may be raised to life.

God is not far from any one of us. We only need to reach out to Him and we will find Him. It is His desire to live with His people, that He may be their God and they may be His people.

The message of Easter is about hope, the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. If anyone would repent of their sins and accept the Lord Jesus as His own Lord and Savior, he would be saved, and have hope for a glorious eternal future. The first step of our journey is hope is to say the following prayer.

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I have sinned against God and against you. I believe, Lord that You died for me, that I may find life in You. I ask You, Lord Jesus to come into my life as my Lord and Savior. Help me become the person You have destined me to be. In Your great name I pray, Amen.”

Friend, if you said this prayer truthfully in your heart, you have found the Hope of Easter, the Joy of Salvation. If you hold on to this faith and continue to follow the way of Jesus to the very end, you will find the eternal joy and happiness promised by God!

God bless,

Jason

The 2 thieves on the cross

The 2 thieves on the cross

This Easter Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have Rev Lai give the Easter Message. One of the primary focuses of the message was on the 2 thieves who were dying on the cross beside our Lord Jesus. Meditating on this, typically, both thieves represent a type of response that we can give to God even at our deathbeds.

The first thieve mocked Jesus mercilessly even in his pain. “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us”, the thief mocked, clearly not believing that Jesus could save Himself or them. The mocking thief even in his dying moments was full of self-pity, anger, hatred and hopelessness. He must have heard about Jesus, perhaps heard of the wonderful miracles He had done. But there was no room in his heart for faith or the love that Jesus preached. In pain and humiliation himself, he sought to comfort himself by taking misery on others. He probably died in the same way that he lived, insulting, mocking, causing hurt to others. Most of us are probably not as bitter as this thief was, but elements of his character can also be found in us. The pessimism that clung to him even when he was so near the Savior could also be in us. Are we also negative and pessimistic, and will we continue to be so until the end of our lives? Are we judgmental and critical of others? Do we criticize and take out our frustrations on others because of the inadequacies and regret we have within ourselves? Have we become so hardened that we no longer believe and will not believe that anything good can happen us?

The second thieve, in his dying moments, reflected on his own sinful life and also thought of Jesus and the wonderful life He lived. He realized and believed that Jesus did not deserve this death at all, and in righteous indignation, rebuked the other thief who was insulting Jesus. “'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.' The second thief believed that Jesus was actually God. And that faith emboldened him to ask of Jesus “'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom' Even at a time when others had forsaken Jesus and no longer believed He was the Messiah, this humble thief still believed that Jesus would return again and rule as King. And similarly, there are great lessons to learn from this thief. Firstly, his optimism. He believed that he had hope, in spite of his many sins. As long as we have hope, no matter how far we have fallen, we can still come back to God and find the salvation of Jesus Christ. Secondly, was his concern for Jesus’ honor. In spite of his own pain and suffering. he spoke out against a man who was insulting Jesus. Do we have the courage to stand up for Jesus? Finally, he really believed that Jesus would come again. Do we really believe that Jesus is coming again? We may so, but the way we live our lives will show whether we actually do, whether we really fear God.

May the Lord bless us with His faith and hope and discipline, and lift us away from the chains of pessimism and hopelessness and criticism as we continue to put our trust in Him as Savior.

God bless, Jason