Cherished

John 14:¹⁹ “In just a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you’re going to see Me because I am alive and you’re about to come alive!” (MSG, emphasis added)

Please read Mark 15:21-41. The night before Jesus was crucified, He made a very strange statement; strange considering the context He was in. The disciples were expecting the Messiah as a conquering king that will come and physically liberate the nation of Israel. We too, sometimes, look for a political figure, for a revolutionary, for someone to come and liberate our nation, or liberate us from the challenges we are facing. However, the way God works, the way He thinks, and the way He orchestrates His master plans is beyond our thinking. Jesus came to save us from what has held humanity bound for over two thousand years.

John 14:¹⁹ “…I am alive and you’re about to come alive!” (MSG, emphasis added). In other words, Jesus was saying to His disciples, something dramatic is about to happen to you.

In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, this season, everything in you that is dead and ought to be alive will resurrect. Everything in you that ought to be strong but is losing life and becoming frail will receive power in the Name of Jesus. You are about to come alive. Easter is about coming alive. In the life of the believer, every day is resurrection, but as we come to a time when we are separated unto God and we focus on the work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, everything that He died for becomes available to us vividly and practically. For someone reading this today, your physical legs have been getting weak, but because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, you will run, jump, and dance to the praise and glory of the Living God, in Jesus Name.

On the cross, Jesus became sin for you and me so that we can be forgiven. Most of us have had to deal with babies, either yours or some else. Babies are masters mess-makers; put them in a clean diaper one minute and the next the diaper is literally wasted! Sometimes, even as parents or care givers, we approach the mess with a long stick and airlift the diaper into the bin. Still not wanting to deal with the mess directly, we turn on the showerhead and use the force of the water to clean the mess. Sometimes, this is how we deal with the mess in our lives – with a long stick. But Jesus did not do that; Jesus did not deal with our mess from a distance. If He did do that, truth is, it would have been okay.

The scripture says, Jesus became sin. He carried our mess with His bare hands and put it on Himself in such a way that He could not be separated from our mess. Jesus did not just take care of our mess, He became our mess. So, the next time you stand before the throne of God telling God that you are bad, you are making a mockery of the work of Jesus at Calvary. If the devil tries to tell you how bad you are, point him to the cross. That is how good you are before God – His righteousness. Jesus became sin so that we can become the righteousness of God.

Prayer [Hymn]: So, I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. Till my trophies at last I lay down. And I will cling to the old rugged cross. And exchange it someday for a crow. Amen!