My earliest childhood memories are of attending worship services and the wonderful hymns we would sing. When I was very young, I couldn’t read the words, but singing the hymns every Sunday wrote the words on my heart. I didn’t always understand the meaning, but as I grew older, the words became full of meaning.

I love the old hymns that were written by people such as Fanny Crosby and Isaac Watts, who loved Jesus and turned that love into songs. I’ve also found some newer worship songs that have deep meaning. As we come to the season where we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, we cannot forget the cross. A person must believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in order to be saved from eternal death, and the cross was the way Jesus died. Jesus willingly gave His life for our salvation, and we must never ignore what the cross symbolizes.

Jesus did not remain on the cross, as some would like to depict, but His body was taken off the cross and placed in a sealed tomb. Three days later, He arose from the grave and conquered death for all who believe! HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS!

HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS

Written by Ross King and Todd Wright

Up to the hill of Calvary
My Savior went courageously
And there He bled and died for me,
Hallelujah for the Cross!

And on that day the world was changed
A final perfect Lamb was slain.
Let Earth and Heaven now proclaim,
Hallelujah for the Cross!

Hallelujah for the war He fought
Love has won; death has lost.
Hallelujah for the souls He bought,
Hallelujah for the Cross!

The cross was a victory, not a tragedy. Jesus chose to enter His creation, knowing that He would be mocked, beaten, and crucified. It was a vicious murder but the only way for our Saviour to shed His blood as a sacrifice to take sin away. The Jewish Passover was a foreshadowing of Jesus and was established when the Israelites were captive in Egypt. Moses had approached Pharoah several times to ask him to give Israel their freedom, but Pharoah wouldn’t do it.

“And the LORD said unto Moses; Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt, afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether” (Exodus 11:1).

God was serious about setting His chosen people free. It would have been wise for Pharoah to have complied with God’s “request” when the water was turned to blood or when there was a plague of frogs, but Pharoah wasn’t wise. The final plague would be the death of the firstborn. There was only one way to be protected from this death. On the tenth of the month of Nissan, a lamb was to be chosen by every household, according to God’s directions.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening” (Exodus 12:5-6).

The lamb was to be slain and his blood put upon the doorposts of the houses of Israel. It wasn’t to be a spur-of-the-moment choice to grab just any lamb and shed its blood. It had to be an unblemished lamb chosen for the purpose of sacrifice.

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:23-13).

Only the blood of the lamb would protect those who believed God’s word. That’s true today. Only the blood of Jesus, God’s perfect lamb, will protect us from eternal death. He died on the cross, shed His blood, and by accepting that sacrifice by faith, we are saved.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Passover is always in the Jewish month of Nissan, and this year, it begins at sunset on April 12 and ends at nightfall on April 20. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, was crucified during Passover, and His shed blood is the final sacrifice for sin. There is no other way for salvation. HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS!

What good I’ve done could never save,
My debt too great for deeds to pay.
But God, my Savior, made a way,
Hallelujah for the Cross!

A slave to sin my life was bound,
But all my chains fell to the ground
When Jesus’ blood came flowing down.
Hallelujah for the Cross!

Hallelujah for the war He fought,
Love has won; death has lost.
Hallelujah for the souls He bought,
Hallelujah for the Cross!

Have you done lots and lots of good deeds? That’s nice, but those good works won’t bring salvation. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

Isaiah spoke the truth. Nobody is righteous enough to stand before God on their own merit. The Law set the standard of righteousness, and all people fall short of God’s perfection. The Law had to be followed exactly in order for a person to meet God’s standard. It’s humanly impossible to do that. Some of the Law required blood to be shed to cover sin.

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

God does not condone human sacrifice, and that’s why there were animal sacrifices to cover sin. That covering was temporary. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).

We need Jesus. Only His shed blood can take sin away. Jesus was fully human because His mother was just a human, and so He was a kinsman to all humanity. His father was God, so His blood was not tainted by the sin that comes from Adam. Jesus was fully human and fully God. John the Baptist recognized Jesus as God’s perfect lamb.

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Passover and was the once for all Sacrifice to take sin away. Faith in Him will bring redemption. There is no other way to live eternally except through the blood of Jesus. HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS!

And when I’ve breathed my final breath
I’ll have no need to fear that rest.
This hope will guide me into death.
Hallelujah for the Cross!

Hallelujah for the war He fought,
Love has won; death has lost.
Hallelujah for the souls He bought,
Hallelujah for the Cross!

It will happen. There is a day in the future for all of us when we will take our last breath in this world. The Rapture will happen soon, and Jesus will take His followers to Heaven. Many others will die prior to the Rapture.

Do you know where you will spend eternity? There are only two options; there’s no purgatory to give you a second chance. You will either spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus, or you will spend eternity in the lake of fire that burns forever. The choice must be made before you take your final breath.

If you depend upon your own good works to earn your way to Heaven, then you will not have a pleasant eternity. On the other hand, if you’ve truly repented and asked Jesus to forgive your sin, then you’re one of the souls He bought with His blood, and you have no reason to fear death. His blood, shed on the cross, has bought your salvation.  HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS!

Jesus died so humanity could live. He is our Kinsman-Redeemer, our Saviour, our Lord, and our God. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is all that, but He loves you and will forgive your sin. While hanging on the cross, He looked at the people on the ground. Some had pounded the nails into his hands and feet, some had cried out for His crucifixion, some had condemned Him, and all had sin.

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).

Those watching Him die had no thought of their sin. I wonder if any of them repented prior to their own death. If you haven’t repented and asked Him to forgive your sin, do it now. He loves you and shed His blood for you. HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS!

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

How much sin should a Christian tolerate?

God set the standard for morality, and from reading the Old Testament, we can see that He is very serious about the wages of sin. In reading books such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we learn that much that is tolerated today was punishable by death under the Law.

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus 20:13).

When God’s ways are ignored, Satan is honored. That’s an abomination because Satan is totally opposed to God. There are many Christian congregations that embrace tolerance and mock God. Those same congregations don’t study Scripture and don’t apply God’s teachings to life. They think Scripture needs to be modernized to fit today’s attitudes. God’s word never changes. Let me repeat that: God’s word never changes. Instead of allowing God to mold and shape them into His image, they try to mold and shape God into their own image. They create an idol of tolerance. Idolatry is a sin. God is love, and Christians need to follow His word.

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

Loving someone doesn’t mean you accept their sin, but in love, you lead them out of sin. You cannot love someone and watch them die in sin.

The Apostle Paul had to deal with a situation in Corinth that involved a very serious sin. “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife” (1 Corinthians 5:1).

“Fornication” is from the Greek word “porneia,” which includes every sexual activity outside of a one-man/one-woman marriage. In Corinth, a man within the congregation was having a sexual affair with his father’s wife. Paul made note of the fact that even non-Christians don’t accept this. Corinth was a Greek city, so if this man was of Greek heritage, he knew his actions were wrong. If he was of Jewish heritage, he had the Law to make it clear that it was wrong.

“A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover the father’s skirt” (Deuteronomy 22:30). Also, “Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen” (Deuteronomy 27:20).

The problem in Corinth is that they were tolerant of sin within the congregation and proud of their tolerance. Christians are to love sinners but not the sin. Christians are sinners just like non-Christians, but the difference is our faith in Jesus. That faith should bring a change in our life, and we should no longer desire to be sinners. For a congregation to fully accept the man who embraced fornication was very wrong. This attitude isn’t uncommon today, and tolerance is revered above honoring God’s word. Paul told the Corinthians to put this man out of the congregation.

“Your glorifying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6).

Sin within a congregation cannot be tolerated because that opens the way to tolerate more sin. This has nothing to do with whether or not the sinner lost his salvation. If he was truly a Christian, he didn’t. On the other hand, if he was truly a Christian, why would he embrace sin? It has everything to do with honoring God. Paul spoke of him as a brother, but he was out of fellowship with God. If a person who has been put out of the congregation repents and turns from the sin, that person is to be welcomed back and forgiven.

One of the clearest stories in Scripture of the love of the Father is the parable of the prodigal son. A father had two sons and loved them both. The younger son decided he wanted to take his inheritance, go away from his home and the rules of his father, and live life by his own rules. The father loved his son enough to let him go out on his own. What a life he led! He had money, and it bought him friends, but when hard times came and the money was gone, so were the friends.

“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want” (Luke 15:14).

The young man went to work at a job that was detestable to a Jewish person: feeding swine. He had hit rock bottom and had no food to eat, and even what he fed to the swine looked good. That’s when he remembered his father.

“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17).

The young man made a mistake by leaving his father’s protection, but life had taught him a hard lesson. He was ready to humble himself and return to his father as a servant.

“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants” (Luke 15:18-19).

This young man had learned a hard lesson that humbled him. When he returned, his father saw him in the distance and ran to him with open arms. He made a joyous celebration for the prodigal son.

“And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:23-24).

That’s how God the Father looks for the return of all who run from His protection to live life by their own rules. Even in the celebration of the sinner’s return, blood was shed. A fatted calf was killed. Never forget the cross and the shed blood of Jesus for redemption. When we truly repent, we are welcomed with celebration. Jesus gave His life so we can live eternally.

There is a second son in this parable, the son who remained faithfully with the father. This young man had a snit fit.

“And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf” (Luke 15:28-30).

The older son saw his good works for the father as the reason he deserved his father’s love. This son also seemed to know the sins of the younger brother, which wasn’t just a quick weekend trip to Sin City but lasted years; but he didn’t try to bring his brother back to the father. The father loved both of his sons, and that’s how God loves all of us. Whether we are the prodigal who goes out and sins then returns, or whether we are the son who stays faithful, God’s love is equal.

Remember, even though the younger son went and sinned shamefully, he was still his father’s son. The older son had chosen to stay faithful instead of going out and sinning, and he was angry that his brother was forgiven. In his own way, the older brother also sinned. He took pride in his works and faithfulness but should have been thrilled that his brother came home. Is that how we are? When a fellow Christian goes through a time of rebellion and sin, do we gloat over our own self-righteousness, or do we take joy when that brother or sister returns? Never forget the cross and the forgiveness found there.

God is serious about sin and its punishment. God knew that Eve would believe Satan’s twisted form of God’s words and eat the forbidden fruit. God has given men the responsibility of leadership, and Adam failed to be the leader. He also ate the forbidden fruit.

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14).

This was the first sin, and the fact that this caused Adam and Eve to be evicted from the Garden of Eden should tell us how important it is to believe God’s truth over Satan’s lies. God wasn’t caught off guard by this sin; He had a plan for redemption.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God” (1 Peter 1:18-21).

Never forget the cross. My faith and hope are in God, how about you? There are no works you can do nor any other faith you can follow that will bring redemption. Before God created the universe and all that’s in it, He had formed His plan of redemption. Jesus was willing to sacrifice His life for us. The Law was given and makes it very clear how much God hates sin.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross for me. The New Testament tells us of redemption and forgiveness. That doesn’t mean that God has changed His mind about how sin disgusts Him, but it does mean our sins can be forgiven if we truly repent and ask His forgiveness. This isn’t a license to sin, but it does give us a way to eternal life in spite of our sin nature.

Both the Old and New Testaments show God’s perfect love. The Old Testament shows us how much God doesn’t want us to sin. The New Testament shows us what He was willing to do in order to forgive our sin.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

The difference is the cross. Never forget the cross.

Many people ignore the Old Testament because they say it shows God as angry at people and that He takes pleasure in condemning humanity. Let’s give that some thought. God created a perfect environment for Adam and Eve. They had plenty to eat and were in fellowship with God. The only fruit they were forbidden to eat was from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan twisted God’s words to make it seem as if God just wanted Adam and Eve to be unhappy. God isn’t the bad guy here, but Satan seems to get the respect. That’s so wrong. Satan still twists God’s word today. God didn’t want Adam and Eve to sin, but they chose to rebel against God.

All sin brings death, and that’s what Satan wants for you. That doesn’t mean God is angry with us. Think of a parent who tells their child not to touch a hot stove. Is that parent mean and angry? That parent knows the pain the child will experience if he touches the hot stove. God knows the pain we face by embracing sin, and He loves us enough to warn us not to dabble in sin. His love is perfect.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather that light, because their deeds were of evil” (John 3:16-19).

God loves you.

Remember what Jesus did for you upon the cross, and never forget the cross.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).