DECEMBER 09 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#33-13 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33 “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

DECEMBER 09  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-13  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)

344 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus indeed we must come to You as did King David, seeking Mercy and Grace  that can only come with a humble and contrite heart that has been washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb of God, even our LORD Jesus! Lord I pray for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit  that I may be a witness of Your Power to resurrect the dead, as You did with Lazarus I pray to be called forth from this grave of my iniquities and worldly lusts that I may witness to the New Life in Christ that I live with a Clean Heart O God! The veil of the temple was torn asunder with Your Death so that sinners such as I can come direct to God and our bodies become the Temple of the Holy Spirit.     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

DECEMBER 09  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-13  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)    Jesus is now on the Victory Side of the Master Plan of Salvation and with His Holy Work of the Cross being “finished” and complete, Joseph of Arimathea (a disciple of Jesus) had gone to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. The wisdom and sovereignty of God has been demonstrated by the Plan of Salvation being accomplished with what the “enemy” of God thought would be the ultimate victory over God but what man intends for evil, only God can turn to good and that is through His Absolute Power over His Creation and Satan who thought that he had achieved a major coup for the forces of evil as the chief priests and elders had swayed the populace to cry “Crucify Him” and had employed the Roman Empire and their world dominating power to execute their evil plot to get rid of Jesus. Just as the evil forces thought they had won when they heard Jesus cry out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” they thought that their victory was complete when they observed His dead body being hurriedly carried to a borrowed tomb. Their first clue should have been the tearing of the veil but they should have remembered that this was the Passover and John the Baptist had declared “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” and the crucifixion of that Holy Passover Lamb had happened on “Preparation Day” which signified the time of the First Passover when Moses received instructions to take a “lamb without blemish” and “then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight” and the “lamb” was to be “consumed with unleavened bread and bitterness” and “none of it shall remain of it until morning”  (Exodus 12:1-11) and this part of the Passover Feast has become known as the Preparation Day. By Joseph taking the body down with Pilate’s permission, the Roman government, the highest authority in Jerusalem (and the world) was in fact stating that Jesus was “officially” dead! The second clue for the congregation of Israel that Jesus was now the King and High Priest of Israel was that “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:52). The veil of the temple in Jerusalem separated the congregation from the Holy of Holies and only the high priest was allowed to pass once a year beyond that veil and seek forgiveness of the sin that separates us from God. The high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies once a year seeking atonement for sin. But on this Passover, JESUS, the Holy Lamb of God was put upon the alter of the cross and with His Sacrificial Death for the remission of sin, Jesus became our High Priest and with the veil being torn we now have access to God the Father, the Holiest of Holies, through His Son Jesus who died ONCE FOR ALL for the ATONEMENT of SIN!!! The enemy did not get to celebrate their empty victory which was ultimately signified by the “EMPTY TOMB”! The Gospel was soon to be complete as we can see that the Holy Scriptures from Prophecy to Revelation are all about God resolving the Problem with the Life, Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who Provided Salvation through the Shedding of Divine Blood for  the Remission of Sin. The enemy should have quaked in their boots when they realized God was Serious about Resolving the Sin Problem and was willing to Accomplish His Master Plan of Salvation, even if God had to “forsake” His Only Begotten Son to make it “fair and legal” for all mankind! All that’s left for God to demonstrate His Absolute Sovereignty over Life and Death is for Him to Resurrect on the Third Day His Beloved Son as God had foreshadowed with God declaring to Moses during the Exodus: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever’” (Exodus 19:9) and the LORD told Moses to “consecrate them… and let them be ready for the third day.” (Exodus 9:11,15) God had repeated this phrase several times to Moses just as Jesus had repeated several times that He “would be resurrected by God (His Father) on the third day” which could easily be paraphrased as “Be ready for you will believe I am the Son of God when I am resurrected on the third day!” Only those who have with their “spiritual lives” prepared themselves and are ready and believe that Jesus rose on the Third Day and HE IS COMING AGAIN will be able to SEE GOD! 

DECEMBER 08 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#33-12 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33 “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

DECEMBER 08  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-12  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)

343 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, You are the Giver of Life and the Sustainer of our Hope. You Lord took  the sins of the world upon Your shoulders and we Lord can only Praise You for the Great Sacrifice You made for our sakes. Your Name is Holy for You are the Holy  One and we give You the Praise and Glory that is due to You. Lead and guide us in our daily lives on earth that when our earthly time is over that we will dwell with You in Paradise forever.     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

DECEMBER 08  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-12  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)    Jesus has stated very clearly that He must “die at the hands of sinners” and that He would be “resurrected on the third day” and that this was the Plan of Salvation that was conceived BEFORE CREATION. This Master Plan of Redemption has now reached the last minute before Jesus completes the Plan and literally “dies for all mankind”, having suffered the pain of taking ALL SIN upon Himself and having to do it as the Father withdrew His Holy Spirit from the Son in order that the Son could pay the full penalty of sin. Jesus shed every drop of His Atoning Blood and suffered the full wrath of God as the Passover Lamb and Matthew then records “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.” (Matthew 27:50) Luke recorded His last words as “‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, [Jesus] breathed His last.” (Luke 23:46) The last words Jesus spoke before yielding up His spirit on the cross as recorded in the Gospel of John are: “‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30)  Mark wrote in his Gospel, “‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?’…And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.” (Mark 15:34,37) It is interesting to note that each of the 4 Gospels record the same event as is evident that in each Gospel that (1) Jesus died an earthly death for each Gospel records that the Man Jesus “breathed His last” and His body was then removed from the cross and put in a grave. If Jesus were still breathing the soldiers would not have pierced His side with a spear, nor would they have allowed Joseph of Arimathea to remove the body from the cross. By every account, though different last phrases from Jesus were recorded, all 4 Gospels recorded that Jesus indeed died and that His spirit was not taken from Him but that he “yielded” His spirit to the Father. Of significant note is that in the argument that Jesus was All Man and All God (which is a Mysterious as God being 3 Persons yet being only 1 God), all the writers of the 4 Gospels recorded that Jesus gave up “His spirit” and then “breathed His last” and we must note that in each Gospel the word is “spirit” signifying man’s “spirit” and not “Spirit” which the Bible records as God’s “Spirit” such as Genesis 1:2 “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) So the Bible makes a clear distinction that man has a “spirit” and that God has a unique “Spirit” for Jesus told His disciples when He spoke of His death on the cross that when He died that “I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper…the Spirit of truth…for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) Jesus is both the Son of Man and the Son of God and as the Son of Man He “yielded His “spirit” and “breathed His last” breath as Man and being “dead” He had “finished” the job of bringing Salvation to mankind and that Jesus as the Lamb of God, having shed every drop of His Innocent Blood  had paid the Ultimate Price for our Redemption. Matthew then writes the “Spiritual Conclusion” to this “Act of Redemption” by the Son of God: “Then [after yielding up His spirit], behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:50-54) Once we have become aware that the entire Bible is about God bringing “deliverance” to His Creation even though it is we ourselves that have rejected Him and brought condemnation on ourselves! There should come a time in each one’s search for “TRUTH” that we finally see that “TRUTH IS God” and that JESUS IS GOD’S SON and we declare “Behold, truly JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD and GAVE HIS LIFE TO DELIVER ME FROM MY SIN!” And then we can bow our hearts to Him and accept GOD’S GIFT OF GRACE and pray with all confidence  “Surely Goodness and Mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD FOREVER!”   

DECEMBER 07 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#33-11 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33 “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

DECEMBER 07  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-11  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)

342 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, today I bring before Your Throne this uneasy spirit that I have been feeling for I know this cannot be of God for the Spirit of God is Peace and this spirit of uneasiness  is not bringing my soul peace — therefore I bring my life once again before You, Jesus Christ and pray for Your Spirit to overcome my thoughts and my desires so that my soul is again at Peace which can only come from the Holy Spirit as we yield to His Spirit, the Spirit of Unity and Peace.     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

DECEMBER 07  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-11  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)    Jesus has just demonstrated that He is the Son of God because He DID NOT come down from the cross as challenged by the unbelievers to “save Yourself” by coming down from the cross to prove Himself to men, NO, Jesus proved Himself to His Father by staying on the cross, for suffering for those that had rejected Him, and His Final Act of Proof was that He stayed nailed to the cross yet He fulfilled His Purpose and saved the thief who was also being crucified with Jesus but asked Jesus “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” and Jesus replied, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:41-43) Matthew writes of the final earthly hour: “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:45-46)  Jesus proved Himself to His Father by staying on the cross, obedient to the Father unto death but now God is proving Himself to the Son and to the world that No One nor anything, not even God’s Great Love for His Only Begotten Son Jesus will stay His Mighty Hand nor upset His Master Plan of Salvation! Jesus proved He is the Son of God the Father by being Obedient and staying on the cross and God proved He is the Father God and that He Truly Loved the world and hated sin enough to RESOLVE the SIN PROBLEM and demonstrate to the world that beyond any question that God’s Purpose in becoming flesh in the form of His Only Begotten Son was to ADDRESS the SIN PROBLEM and to PROVIDE A SOLUTION IN THE FORM OF SALVATION THROUGH THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF — “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus to die on the cross, the Perfect and Acceptable Sacrifice of the Passover Lamb of God] that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) We must as believers accept the Gift of Grace from God that was paid for by the Blood of Jesus on the cross at Calvary and then acknowledge that this Death of Jesus was the Solution to the Sin Problem for by His death Jesus brought eternal life into the world for all who will call upon His Name for Salvation and we must believe that “… God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17) And for those that reject Jesus and God’s Plan of Salvation Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness  rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) God was serious enough about RESOLVING the SIN PROBLEM to develop a MASTER PLAN OF SALVATION and then GOD PROVED HIMSELF SOVEREIGN for who but God could use His enemies to actually defeat themselves as they became a major part of bringing about SALVATION by condemning Jesus to death by crucifixion!!! Again I can hear Jesus saying, “But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” (Matthew 26:56) Now that Jesus has been Obedient to the Father’s Will and  stayed on the cross and God has punished sin by the death of His Only Begotten Son on that cross and the Plan of Salvation has been EXECUTED to ABSOLUTE PERFECTION, the prophecies are fulfilled, and Jesus can claim VICTORY as He cries out from the Cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) I can hear the Gavel of God’s Justice ringing loud and clear throughout the whole world as God declares “COURT ADJOURNED!!!”  

DECEMBER 06 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#33-10 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33 “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

DECEMBER 06  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-10  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)

341 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, I thank You for the Gift of the Holy Spirit to guide me through these latter years of my life and to help me realize it has never been about my personal glory but it is all about Your Glory. Lord, when I look at just Your last few minutes on the cross it is evident that indeed all men and especially me, fall short of Your Glory for I know I must be counted among those that let the world tempt me when I should be praying and resisting the world. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner. All I desire is for others to see Jesus in me and yet I am afraid that I keep jumping up and screaming “Look at me” and once again my weakness is exposed. Lord, You are the Light, the Truth, and the Way and I pray to seek Your Light, that I speak only Your Truth, and to walk only in Your Way.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

DECEMBER 06  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-10  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)    Jesus is nailed to the cross and His garments have been divided up, He has been brutally beaten and scourged  and His final minutes on this earth are at hand. One would think that at this point all anyone would think about would be getting through this extreme personal pain or even if anyone in this position even thought about doing something for others that they would be completely helpless to do anything at all, for after all, Jesus is in the greatest physical pain imaginable, He is literally nailed hands and feet to a cross, all His possessions have been taken from Him so what possibly could such a disadvantaged person do? Matthew describes the scene where the soldiers have just “divided His garments” and Jesus is hanging on the cross above them — “Sitting down, [the soldiers] kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.” (Matthew 27:35-38) There is so little we attempt to do for the kingdom because of our lack of faith in God because we let the world tell us that we never have enough to help ourselves therefore we never consider helping others. In describing this same scene we read from the Gospel of Luke, “Then one of the criminals…blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” (Luke 23:39)   This is so typical of our proclivity to question God just as Satan tested Jesus saying “If You are the Son of God…” and then we give God some test to pass in order to “prove Himself”!?!? How ridiculous it is to imagine that we as mere mortals need personal proof that God is God when without the life and intellect to even ask the question is in itself a miracle of God!!! The scene taking place at the cross illustrates the entire Gospel as we have demonstrated in these three crosses a summary of the entire Bible. Here it is: (1) Jesus has come into the world to save the world but is rejected by His own. (2) Those in power sought to retain their power therefore they condemned the innocent to protect their guilt instead of accepting God’s leadership. (3) Jesus stated that the Father would grant eternal life to everyone that believed that Jesus was sent by the Father to save sinners from eternal hell. (4) Jesus then stated that He was not here to condemn but to save the world. (5) God never gives up on trying to draw us to Himself. (6) Jesus taught time and time again that it is our “Faith in God” that is the Key to our Salvation (7) Jesus has the Power to Forgive sins, even if He and the sinner are both nailed to a cross with absolutely no other resources! We see this played out as Luke records: “But the other[criminal], answering, rebuked [the blasphemer], saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’” (Luke 23:40-42) It was at this point that Jesus proved it is not a product of our circumstances that equals our Salvation but rather it is our Confession that Jesus is Lord that leads to our Salvation for even though Jesus was breathing some of His lasts breaths on earth, His Spiritual Powers were not diminished in the least as Luke records the Power of God to Save: “And Jesus said to [the repentant one], ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” (Luke 23:43) There is nothing that the world can do to Jesus to prevent Him from forgiving those that call upon the Name of Jesus as Lord and Savior because the Power is not with men but with God! The thief on the cross was guilty and was nailed to a cross — he could not go to church, he could not tithe, he could not be baptized, physically he could accomplish nothing but spiritually he could recognize his eternal need for Jesus and recognize Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life and Jesus proved Himself and GOD IS FAITHFUL to SAVE ALL WHO CALL UPON THE NAME OF JESUS FOR SALVATION! There is no worldly circumstance to prevent us from acknowledging our spiritual need for a Savior and no worldly circumstance that will prevent God from being Faithful and Just to Forgive us our sins and we can have Eternal Fellowship with God as we share Eternal Life with Him in His Eternal Paradise!!! 

DECEMBER 05 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#33-09 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33 “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

DECEMBER 05  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-09  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)

340 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom Come, Lord, Precious Lamb of God forgive us when we fall back into the world that You came to free us from! Lord, You said we are to be “in” the world but not “of” the world and I pray for discernment to know the difference that I may witness to Your Glory and seek none for myself. Jesus, so often I find myself saying things and dropping Your Name and have missed the  True Purpose of calling on Your Holy Name for it is never about promoting self! Lord, guide me in Your Light and keep always in my heart Your Truth that when I speak that You will be heard and Your Peace will be with men.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

DECEMBER 05  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-09  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)    Jesus is about to take His Place on the cross, one single event that will forever change the course of history as no single event had ever done or will ever do!!! When the written history of mankind is reviewed there will always be the Bible and the story of Salvation and this single event of Jesus being crucified on the cross has no comparison in all the other books ever written in the history of the world. Time has been divided into AD (anno Domini) and BC (before Christ) with AD being taken from the full original Latin phrase “anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi (meaning “in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ”) so as long as “time is recorded” then the life of Jesus is will have to be acknowledged because nothing can change the Truth that for these several thousand years now that the life of Jesus has been the world standard for keeping a record of world history. All the libraries of the world would have to be purged and every Bible destroyed just to begin trying to refer to life without referencing Jesus Christ! That single event will NEVER happen again and therefore no single individual will ever accomplish what Jesus did in 33 years on this earth. The fact that Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion which was prophesied hundreds of years before crucifixion was even used was another historical fact that will never be reproduced in the history of mankind because God and only God knows the future and has complete control of the events that occur, therefore even if a great conspiracy arose and had the following of all men, then those living at the beginning of the conspiracy would have to somehow come up with a scenario that a 1000 years after they wrote the details of the conspiracy that the conspirators would have to invent something that would somehow use the enemies of the conspiracy to prove the validity of the conspiracy? This scenario of enemies being used to prove themselves wrong is ludicrous but it is exactly what happened with Jesus Christ for his birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection were predicted thousands of years earlier and were accomplished not by those who were following Him but were caused by those who could only be classified as being against Him, why else would they sentence Him to death on a cross just as it had been written of the Jewish Messiah when they were trying to prove that Jesus was “NOT” the Messiah? Today some will claim Jesus is a myth but never in the history of the world did the world change the way time is recorded because of a “myth” — Jesus walked the earth, was a Jew, and was crucified on a cross BECAUSE HE IS THE SON OF GOD!!! Matthew recorded this single event with simple detailed Truth: “And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. ‘They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing the cast lots.’” (Matthew 27:33-35) This single event has been recorded in every single Bible ever published and is still being put into print today. The Bible has sold more copies than any other book in history and will never be overtaken as the number 1 selling book of all time so therefore there NEVER will be a single event, spoken of by acknowledged prophets that will occur thousands of years after the prophecy and that event will come about exactly as written by the prophet yet accomplished by the actions of those opposing the prophecy — and then the event, though unpopular as it was with the world powers at the time, would  be written and published year after year and the world powers could not suppress it — these facts surrounding this single event of Jesus and His Death on a Cross are in itself the PROOF that JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD!!! 

DECEMBER 04 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#33-08 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33 “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

DECEMBER 04  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-08  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)

339 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, Lord there will never be enough words to express the gratitude that I should utter to Praise God for His Faithfulness, His Mercy, and His Grace. Lord we do not know the depth of True Love that can only be reached by knowing God, believing in His only Begotten Son, and accepting the Divine Gift of the Holy Spirit that God Himself promised would take up Eternal residence within each of us. There is no concept that our limited intellect can grasp that can explain the ETERNAL so why would we be so arrogant as to say that we can be grateful for what we cannot understand —the answer lies in FAITH in the ETERNAL for FAITH is the KEY to the ETERNAL so my prayer is to grow in FAITH that my THANKSGIVING may HONOR GOD, HONOR THE SON, and HONOR THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

DECEMBER 04  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-08  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)    Jesus has been betrayed by Judas, abandoned by His disciples, declared “innocent” by Pilate, rejected by His own people for the criminal Barabbas, and has now been “delivered…to be crucified.” (Mathew 27:26) Everything that was prophesied by Isaiah about the Suffering Servant is now in full motion and Jesus is about to undergo the preparation of the Passover Lamb where God instructed Moses on the Eve of the nation Israel’s deliverance from their slavery in Egypt: “Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying…speak to all the congregation of Israel…every man shall take for himself a lamb…without blemish, a male…then the whole congregation of Israel shall kill it…take the blood…put it on the doorposts [of each household that desires God’s Deliverance and obeys His Instructions to us]…It is the LORD’S PASSOVER.” (Exodus 12:1-11) Jesus is about to undergo what Isaiah described as, “Behold My Servant…His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men…He is despised and rejected by men…” (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:3) as Matthew records that Jesus was “scourged” and delivered “into the Praetorium” and the “whole garrison [of soldiers]” gathered around Jesus “And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head…they spat on Him…and struck Him on His head…and led Him away to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:27-31) We cannot imagine the humiliation and physical pain Jesus endured during the scourging received at the hands of the soldiers but it could not have been worse than the spiritual pain Jesus felt when He knew His last drop of Blood was shed and the Sacrifice was drawing to its completion and that God the Father must let His Son “pay the penalty for sin” which God had declared with the first Adam as “DEATH” and in order for God to be FAIR AND JUST to ALL, Jesus must suffer the pain of “DEATH” and JESUS being the ONLY ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE must SUFFER AND DIE ALONE which meant that God the Father must let Jesus the Son take ALL SIN UPON HIMSELF and God, being Holy, must  “forsake” Jesus — Jesus has asked all His previous Questions to man in order for us to understand God but the last Question Jesus asked was to God Himself in order for man to understand how serious God is about the “Remission of Sin”. Through God’s Action in abandoning Jesus on the cross at the point of His Death demonstrated God’s Justice and when Jesus was “Resurrected on the Third Day” God demonstrated His Grace and Mercy. God has kept every PROMISE He has made to us and we like Abraham having “received the promises… conclude that God [IS] able to raise [ALL] up, even from the dead”! (Hebrews 11:16-19) God indeed “forsook” Jesus on the cross but we should understand that God’s Actions toward Jesus on the Cross was the Completion of the Master Plan of Salvation and demonstrated God’s Grace and LOVE toward mankind and proved the level of Commitment God has in Keeping His Promises!!! Jesus with His Last Question on the cross was still Teaching for if we look at the Question Jesus asked of God with the concept of Faith in mind that God will “Resurrect” us from the dead if we believe in Him, we can recall the words Jesus said just before Lazarus was resurrected from the grave as Jesus prayed to the Father: “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” (John 11:41-42) Maybe it would not be a stretch then to paraphrase Jesus and say for certain that “God so loved the world {{that He forsook His Only Begotten Son, the Passover Lamb, on the cross}} that whosoever believed in Him {{that even if death takes us that God will resurrect us}} and that we shall {{have our sins forgiven and shall}} not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 {{paraphrased}})  “Do you believe God would forsake His Son for a sinner?”   

DECEMBER 03 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#33-07 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33 “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

DECEMBER 03  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-07  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)

338 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, my Lord, my God, Praise be the Name above all names, Jesus, the One that became flesh and Sacrificed His Innocent Sinless Life to set this sinner free! Lord Jesus, You alone are worthy of the praise of men and may my lips be filled with Praise for God’s Only Begotten, who being Obedient Unto Death achieved the Ultimate Victory over death, sin, and the grave.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

DECEMBER 03  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33-07  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)    Jesus is standing alone in front of Pilate having been brought there by the chief priests after being betrayed by Judas and Pilate is trying to determine if Jesus is deserving of death but can find no cause to pass the sentence of death onto this innocent Man standing by Himself and making no defense. Pilate went so far as to offer (as is the custom of the governor’s feast held during the Passover) to release a prisoner to the Jews. “Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’” (Matthew 27:15-17) When the cries from the Jews for the release of Barabbas was made to Pilate he said, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” (Matthew 27:22) It was at this point that God’s Master Plan of Salvation was again demonstrated, for just as God Himself had killed an innocent animal thereby establishing the Substitutionary Sacrifice where God would accept Innocent Blood for the covering of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, here again the sinner Barabbas is being set free and Jesus Christ is the Substitutionary Sacrifice who will shed His Innocent Blood to cover the sin of His people who have rejected and denied Him thereby disobeying God who had declared “This is my Son … listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35) Pilate then washed his hands of the whole affair and declared “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.” (Matthew 27:24) The Jews that had cried “Crucify [Jesus]” and “release Barabbas” responded to Pilate’s comment about shedding “the blood of this Just Person” when they said, “His blood be on us and our children.” (Matthew 27:25) The facts have been established that (1) Jesus is standing alone (2) Jesus is innocent and is not deserving of death (3) the sinner Barabbas will be set free because Jesus will die in his place (4) it is established by the highest authority that Jesus is a “just Person” and that Innocent Blood will be shed (5) the people who are rejecting Jesus as the Son of God have passed their own sentence of personal guilt and condemnation when they declared “His blood be on us…” (6) Jesus is recognized at His trial as the “King of the Jews” and as “Jesus Christ” (7) and finally, the death of “Jesus Christ” would be by “Crucifixion” (Matthew 27:11-25) The die has been cast and Matthew writes: “Then [Pilate] released Barabbas to them; and when [Pilate] had scourged Jesus [Pilate] delivered Him to be crucified. (Matthew 27:26) There can be no doubt by reading Matthew’s account that Jesus was doing this completely on His own — this fact will be made painfully clear as Jesus is on the cross and at the point of death and asks His Final Question of God the Father — JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46) Could it be made any clearer that Jesus and ONLY Jesus had to pay the penalty of sin and He did it ENTIRELY ALONE !!! For at the point of death, God the Father had to pay all by Himself the Ultimate Pain required in His Master Plan for the Remission of Sin because to demonstrate His Justice, God the Father had to “Forsake” His Only Begotten Son because being God Most High and in pure Holiness, God the Father could not look upon sin, ALL SIN, which had been placed upon JESUS CHRIST the Holy Spotless Passover Lamb of God!!!  When Jesus cried, “It is finished” we must realized that the Holy Trinity had completed the Master Plan of Salvation: Because the Spirit was DENIED, God’s Only Son was CRUCIFIED and the Loving Holy Father CRIED!!!  It was the toughest thing imaginable for the Father to allow His Son to be killed but it was worse that to be God, He had to turn His Back on Jesus His Only Begotten Son and let Him die alone — or else there would have been NO VICTORY — when you look at the death of Jesus from this perspective you can have full confidence that God will do everything possible to provide salvation to even the worst sinner — all we have to do is accept the Father’s Gift of Grace!!!