The old rugged cross and the empty tomb.
Those two events in the life of Jesus are among
the most important portions of the whole Bible. One of the backgrounds is
the prophecy told by God to the snake, that the seed of the woman should
crush his head and that the snake should hurt his heel. You remember that
this prophecy was spoken in the garden of Eden, and that is was fulfilled in
the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary..
Foretold in
the Old Testament.
In this part of the Bible we read that thousands
of animals were slaughtered and the blood was poured out on the altar. This
act was repeated over and over again and had value only for a short time.
The letter to the Hebrews tells us that those
sacrifices were incomplete and were taken over by the perfect sacrifice that
Jesus gave when he died on the cross and shed His blood.
We were told that when Jesus died the
tremendous thick curtain between the holy and the holiest place in the
temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. That was a token of the
fact that the hindrance of entering unto the presence of God was taken
away. Jesus opened a new and a holy way through sacrificing his body,
which was torn and bruised on the cross. Now we may enter into the
presence of holy God with confidence.
Jesus brought the sacrifice we should have
offered. He died in our place, so that we shall inherit eternal life.
Thank him for it - this moment.
By this sacrifice Jesus made peace between God
and you. He is our peace, and you get peace with God in a good
conscience. God is completely satisfied with the sacrifice Jesus gave once
for all. That's why God is satisfied with you - as his blessed child.
Jesus rose
again.
The victory on the cross would have been in vain
of Jesus had died for never to live again. Because Jesus was without sin,
death could not hold him. On the third day after his crucifixion, God the
Father rose him up. In the meantime Jesus had been in the kingdom of
death. He took from the devil the key to death. opened the doors for the
righteous souls and brought them in triumph into the newerected paradise.
These two great events,
the victory of Jesus on the cross, and his victory in the kingdom of death
because of the victory on the cross, is the firm foundation for our eternal
redemption.
I urge you that you in this
very moment receive this message about the old rugged cross and the
empty grave, Kneel down at the foot of the cross, pray the prayer of the
sinner, confess your sins, and thank Jesus for the cleansing power in His
blood. I welcome you to Gods family, and I would be glad if you contact me
to tell me what you have done with this invitation.
God bless you richly.
