What Jesus Endured and Accomplished on the Cross

 
Today is Good Friday.  Its the day that we remember the death of our Savior as a sacrifice in our place.  But do we get it?  The only place I've ever seen any really violent deaths is through the television.  When I hear that Jesus was crucified, I don't have any experience to draw on to fully understand what he went through.  My guess is that most of you are in the same boat as well.  A crucifixion is so far from reality to us that its hard to comprehend.  So let's look briefly at what our Savior endured for us.  This will be detailed and may make some readers feel uncomfortable.  It should.  The goal here is not gore, but the truth of what our Savior went through for us.

Theology Thursday: Is Abortion a Sin?

Before we start, lets take a moment to recognize that for many this is a deeply emotional issue.  Pregnancy is a life changing event and many women wind up pregnant before they are ready to have a baby.  Most women who have an abortion wrestle with the decision and don't make it lightly.  Many of these women go on to struggle with the decisions they have made wondering what could have been.  This is a sensitive issue.  My heart truly goes out to women who find themselves in a situation where they face this decision.  And shame on the boys who claim to be men in their lives who have left them with so few options that abortion seems to be best.

With that said, let's address the question.  As Christians, our view of right and wrong must come from the Bible.  On issues not directly addressed by the Bible, we must allow the Bible and its principles to guide us.  So let's ask the question and look to the Bible for answers.  Is abortion a sin?

A Lesson from a Bar Last Friday

Pastor Mark was at a bar last Friday night celebrating a friend's birthday party.  We had a fun time playing Jenga and catching up and, for those who might be shocked about this scenario, no we did not get drunk.      Moving on...

While I was chatting with a friend, I started to notice a voice behind me growing louder and louder.  Finally, I turned around to see a man sitting in a booth staring angrily at me.  He was pointing wildly in the air and kept saying, "What's this?" to me.  I had no idea who he was or what he was talking about.  I thought maybe he wanted to know what song was playing.  Here is how the conversation went.

One reason I love Psalm 145

When I'm driving the speed limit and I get tailgated, sometimes I think to myself, "I should just slam on my brakes and it will go down as their fault...that'll teach them!"

When I got home from the airport last week, Michaela was crying and everyone was talking while grandma was trying to buckle her into her car seat.  We were parked for too long at the pickup curb and the lady came up and told us to move.  I snapped at her quite rudely.

I got a huge and unexpected bill yesterday.  When I went in to dispute it and things didn't go my way, I thought about throwing my documents in the lady's face for a second... just for a second. On the outside, I smiled and thanked her.

Do you get angry?  Do you punch walls?  Do you lose your temper?  Do you yell at people?  I'm not the only one right?

Feature Friday: Buying Dinner for a Mugger

If you read the news or listen to the radio, you've probably heard this story.  Julio Diaz (above) was approached after getting off the train by a teen with a knife.  After he handed over his wallet, the teen turned around to leave.  If I were Julio, at that point I probably would have taken out my cell phone and called the police while walking away.  I would be upset that my day had been ruined by such a scary thing and I would want that no good teen caught and punished and I would want my wallet returned.  I think that is how most of us would feel.

Ezra: The Sovereign God Over the Hearts of Men

Last week, we left off in a bad spot.  The Israelites had been carried off into exile.  Their city had been burned.  Their temple was ransacked and destroyed.  Their leaders were murdered and their king was in prison.  Their freedom was taken.  For seventy years they lived as slaves.  And a question was left lingering.  Is there any hope for God’s people?  That’s the question we will be asking every week and we’ll be seeing a fuller and fuller answer every week.

The King did WHAT!?

Read Ezra 1

                Does King Cyrus not strike you as crazy?  The Israelites are his slaves.  He owes them nothing and they are in a position where they owe him everything.  What does he do with them?  He frees them!  Even if that was all he did, it would be above and beyond what anyone would expect.  He is giving up over 50,000 slaves!  What a guy!

Reboots and Mulligans

Have you heard about the new Spiderman movie scheduled to come out in 2012?  Don't believe me?  You can watch the trailer HERE.

You may have noticed something strange.  Its not part four in the Spiderman series.  Its a total reboot.  Tobey Maguire will not be playing Spiderman, there is a totally new Peter Parker.  In fact, all of the actors are new.  It's not even called Spiderman anymore.  Now, its "The Amazing Spider-man" (which you'll recognize as the original comic title if you're a nerd like me).  Marvel is completely starting over and taking everything back to the drawing board.  Its a fresh start.

Dealing with Anger

"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."  Ephesians 4:26-27

A friend of mine was recently caught in the middle of drama.  We'll call this friend Jim.  Sally told Billy a lie about Jim.    As a result, Billy is now mad at and not really speaking to Jim.  For the moment, this lie has wrecked that relationship.

Jim and I talked about it for a while and he finally asked, "Is it okay that I'm mad?  Is it wrong for me to be angry about this?"