The Tragedy and Triumph of Easter

“O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night, I cry out before you.” Psalm 88:1

May your name be exalted, Lord Jesus, for your willingness to be the Suffering Servant. You are glorious in your desire to suffer for your enemies.

As Psalm 88 prophetically says about you, “You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Your wrath lies heavily on me.

You have overwhelmed me with all your waves. I am confined and cannot escape.”

So you were, Lord Jesus, overwhelmed, struck down, trapped under wrath and totally crushed.

You placed yourself directly in the path of God’s anger and were unescapably confined to it.

Psalm 88 continues “Why do you reject me and hide your face from me?”

When you, Lord Jesus, became sin, the Father turned from you, leaving you utterly alone under His wrath.

“I was taken from my closest friends; you made me repulsive to them.” You took upon yourself the sin of the whole world.

Even  more,  You became sin for us: ugly, repulsive, and despicable. And because of this, the fabric of the Trinity was torn—

those eternal, rich, beautiful, warm and perfect relationships were ripped apart as you, Lord Jesus, became sin for us

and as you, heavenly Father, crushed the Son to save your enemies.

“Your wrath swept over me, your terrors destroyed me…the darkness is my closest friend.” You, Lord Jesus, endured this wrath,

moved through it, drinking every last drop of the bitter pain—you not only endured the jeers of the Jews,

but all the aggressive attacks of the absolutely evil demonic forces.

You waited until the right second and then rose up to defeat Satan and death, shattering the strength of the foe who had enslaved all mankind with the fear of death.

You triumphed in a dazzling blaze of glory, defeating, dethroning, destroying death and the devil with all his diabolic plans.

Only you, only you, Lord Jesus, could have done this, and you did it at the right time and in the right way! You accomplished it perfectly!

Your work is finished, opening a doorway between the dominion of darkness and the Kingdom of Light,

calling all the prisoners of the devil to come out into the warmth of your love and forgiveness.

You, Lord Jesus Christ, are worthy of all Praise and Honor, Exaltation and Magnification.

You are the Great and Humble Lord, the Mighty and Meek Savior, the Most High and the Most Holy.

To you be glory, both now and forever more!

A believing author wrote the following about the work of the Holy Spirit,

calling it a “plot twist” because it speaks to misconceptions

that many believers have  after absorbing the values

of the world floating around them.

“The Spirit doesn’t give you power to sin safely…

No, He gives you the power to say, ‘No’ quietly,

to stop asking, ‘How close can I get to the edge?’

Instead, He leads us to start asking ‘Why does this grieve Him.’

Under His guidance you don’t just confess sin, you turn from it,

not because you’re scared of hell,

but because you’re scared of losing intimacy with the Spirit.

You don’t justify anymore, you don’t blame anymore,

you don’t call conviction shame but see it as a call to move up.

Your heart breaks in the face of sin and runs ‘home’ fast.

If repentance is alive, the Spirit is present,

and if His fruit is growing, even if it’s slowly,

He is already working in your life. Stick with Him!

“God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness.” 1 Thes. 4:7

Today’s post is different. I heard an interesting talk today about the signs that show you have the Holy Spirit.

This talk was directed to those who seek a special experience to prove the Spirit’s presence, like signs and wonders, dreams,

goosebumps and prophetic chills, or tongues on command, or fire that makes you look powerful.

Of course, we know from Scripture that every true believer has the Holy Spirit, as it says in Romans 8:9b

“…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”

And here are the unusual biblical evidences the speaker gave of the work of the Holy Spirit

–The Spirit doesn’t show up to impress, He shows up to teach, guide and correct.

–The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to make us feel chosen,

–He works to make us feel convicted–and safe enough to repent and change.

–You know you have the Spirit when repentance becomes daily hygiene,

not just an occasional public apology.

–The Spirit is interested in repentance, growth and obedience to Jesus,

–Because He desires that we may honor Him and bring glory to His name.

Are these in your life? Tomorrow a fresh look at the fruit of the Spirit.

When disappointment strikes, adrenalin spikes,

As we have been looking at the infinite, eternal and powerful qualities of God;