THANK YOU JESUS  

OUR ETERNAL DEBT PAID

As I am writing this, it is Easter Saturday for 2024, and once again, Christians around the world are remembering with gratitude the inestimable gift of God in sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to earth to live as "one of us," in a human body for thirty three years, having divested Himself of His Godly attributes of omniscience (all-knowing), omnipresence (being limited to one place at any given time), and omnipotence (all-powerful), expressed in the Greek word kenosis or 'self-emptying.'

Jesus was the God-man. Although limited to a human body, he was still divine - being fully man and fully God, as the second Person of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

One of my very favourite worship songs in recent times is one that our church pastor introduced to the church probably about a year ago now, It is called: "Thank You Jesus For The Blood," and the singer is popular American worship leader/ songwriter, Charity Gayle, who with her husband, Ryan Kennedy and musicians David Gentiles and Steven Musso - all from Buffalo, New York state collaborated to write this Holy-Spirit anointed song:

I was a wretch, I remember who I was

I was lost, I was blind, I was running out of time

Sin separated, the breach was far too wide

But from the far side of the chasm

You held me in your sight

So you made a way, Across the great divide

Left behind Heaven's throne

To build it here inside

And there at the cross, You paid the debt I owed

Broke my chains, freed my soul

For the first time I had hope

Thank you Jesus for the blood applied

Thank you Jesus, it has washed me white

Thank you Jesus, You have saved my life

Brought me from the darkness into glorious light

You took my place, Laid inside my tomb of sin

You were buried for three days

But then You walked right out again

And now death has no sting, And life has no end

For I have been transformed

By the blood of the Lamb

Thank You Jesus for the blood applied

Thank You Jesus, it has washed me white

Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life

Brought me from the darkness into glorious light

There is nothing stronger

Than the wonder working power of the blood

That calls us sons and daughters

We are ransomed by our Father 

Through the blood, the blood

Glory to His name, Glory to His name

There to my heart was the blood applied

Glory to His name.

This song encapsulates the message of Easter. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that: All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In other words, our sin nature inherited from the first man, Adam has separated us from fellowship and relationship with our Creator God.

The apostle Paul again expands on this in Romans 6:23 where he says:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:7-11 tell us the Good News that:

Now most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's condemnation.

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends with God.

Under the Old Covenant, it was necessary for the children of Israel to continually make blood sacrifices of animals for the remission or forgiveness of sins. Indeed, Hebrews 9:22 tells us that:.....without the shedding of blood, there is no remission, or forgiveness of sins.

When Jesus, the sinless Son of God died on the cross at Calvary a little over 2,000 years ago, He paid the price required by our Holy God once and for all for the sins of everyone who would live from that time forward. HOWEVER, it does require a response from the individual of repentance from sin, and acknowledgement that Christ died for his or her sins, and an invitation from the person to the Lord Jesus Christ to become their Saviour and Lord with a willingness to commit to following Him.

Hundreds of millions of people around the world from many and varied ethnic, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds have experienced the life-transforming power of the resurrected Christ in not only saving them from the eternal consequences of sin and rebellion towards God, but whose lives have also been healed from physical and mental illnesses and delivered from life-destroying bondages such as drug addiction, pornography and alcoholism. Truly, the Word of God can be fully trusted, when as Jesus stated in John 8:31,32. "If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." The truth of God's Word in you indeed shall be a liberating force.

I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else - not only in this world but also in the world to come.

Christ's bodily resurrection is a well-documented historical fact. It has been stated that there is more proof for the resurrection of Jesus Christ than for any other fact or incident of Roman history.

HE'S ALIVE!! This Easter, in 2024, you who are reading this could make the most important decision of your life - to commit your life to Jesus Christ, and to invite Him to become your Saviour and Lord. Your life will never be the same again!

You don't have to say fancy prayers using long theological words. The most important thing is that what you pray is from the heart.

You could pray something like this:

Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner, and that my sin has separated me from knowing You. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sin, in my place, and that He rose again from the dead. Please forgive me of my sin, and i ask You to become my Saviour and Lord of my life. Amen.

As you begin your new life as a Christian, I encourage you to:

Start reading the Bible, and read some every day. Start with the Gospel of Mark or John in the New Testament.

Spend time praying to the Lord in your own words from your heart - and listen for Him to answer.

Find a Bible-believing church and start attending regularly, so that you can be taught the Word of God, and be built up and encouraged as you fellowship with other Christians

Tell someone of your decision to follow Christ. Your personal testimony is powerful and may lead those you share with to want to know Jesus too, as they see the transformation in your life.

God Bless! Jesus is the best friend you will ever have!