Morning by Morning, April 2 - Remember the Sacrifice of the Cross
Good morning, Lord Jesus. On this day we remember the cross, I remember You and Your sacrifice of love for me. ...
“And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered (Jesus) wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over Him. Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’
Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, saying, He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He wants to; for He said, ‘I am God’s Son.’ The bandits who were crucified with Him also taunted Him in the same way.
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.’ Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with Him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this Man was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:33-54)
Yes, this Man was the Son of God. This Man was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). This Man was the Messiah of Israel and Savior of all, the Suffering Servant who led a sinless life and willing laid it down that we could be forgiven and free by the sacrifice of His love through the power of His blood in fulfillment of the prophetic promise of the Word of God in Isaiah 53:
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:3-6).
Lord Jesus, as “the iniquity of us all” was laid upon You, as You bore “the chastisement for our peace” and all “our griefs” and “sorrows” and “transgressions” and “iniquities,” the Father turned His face away. And in prophetic fulfillment of Psalm 22, You cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Psalm 22:1).
In that moment when all our sin separated You from our God, You were forsaken for a moment that we would never be forsaken forever. You paid the price for our sins in the way we never could.
Truly we have no idea of the suffering You endured in Your spirit as You endured the cross and descended to hell in separation from the Father on our behalf (1 Peter 3:18-22). So before we hurry on in celebration of the joy of Your resurrection, may we take time to remember the sacrifice of the cross, with hearts of eternal gratitude all You’ve done for us.
Lord Jesus, thank You for the cross. Thank You for the debt You paid and the gift You gave that can never be repaid, but only accepted and embraced through Your love and grace for every one of us. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, may you remember the sacrifice of the cross and embrace all our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done for every one of us, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you!
Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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