http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/7728 He had to be man to die, he had to be God to be sinless. When Christ died on the cross, God saw this as the payment for all of our sins. Christ was our substitute. He died in our place. The Bible tells us many things about His love for us, one notible is Isaiah 53:6 "The Lord has laid upon Christ the sin of us all". Look at it this way: The Vikings ruled the sea and took over many different things(things I guess as far as islands and stuff). There was then this new leader who arose up. Early on in his reign of being King someone was stealing from the treasury. The King ordered that when the theives were caught they would be given ten lashes for their crimes. Time went by and still nobody confessed or was captured. The King then ordered twenty lashes. Still nobody was caught and nobody confesses. The King finally decited fifty lashes to those who were caught in the ring of robberies from the treasury. Well finally after all this time they had caught the one stealing from the treasury. Guess who it was? The King's mother... So now the King had a decision to make, he is ordered to punish the guilty of their crimes. However can his love be so great for his mother to let her go? Well the time came for him to make his decision about what to do with his mother. And it was ordered by law that he MUST punish the guilty. So the entire nation came to see what decision he would make. He ordered his mother to be tied up in front of the entire nation and her back to be exposed. Just before the first lash begins he stops them. He walks up behind his mother, pulls up the back of his shirt and takes all of the punishment for her. His love was satisfied for his mother by being punished for her crimes and sins that she had committed. It is the same with God, his love was satisfied and demonstrated, as well as his justice when he sent His only son into this world to take the punishment of our sins for us. Imagine if you had to take fifty lashes and God walked up behind you and took them all for you. Now, imagine you were being beat, hit, and tortured. Yes just try to imagine. You were being hit by different people with whips and obtaining lashes. However, there were nails and thorns and pieces of glass on the tips of them and they would just shred you to bits. You were then mocked and given a crown of thorns which sunk into your head. Then you had to carry this heavy heavy cross an entire mile after that sevdere beating. They then put you on it and drove huge nails in both hands and both feet. They then left you there to die. Now you can't imagine the pain of that to be honest. But say that Jesus stood up before that happened and took the entire thing for YOU. What kind of God would love us SO much to send his son to be crucified like that? What comes to mind is the verse from Jeremiah 31:3 where God tells us "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love" that loves continues to this day. This paints a gruesome picture, but it also paints how great the love of our Heavenly Father is. "How Great Is Our God"? Now we all know about doubting Thomas in the late part of the twentieth chapter of the book of John, right? Well I didn't until I had studied it a couple of weeks ago. Jesus appeared to many, worked miracles with many. Some came to Thomas and told him about the Lord "We have seen him!" Thomas replied "Until I see him with my own two eyes and touch his side and put my finger into the holes in his hands and feet and smell him I will not believe". Most of this is paraphrased by the way. The Lord appears before him and says "Stop doubting and believe". Thomas then said "My Lord! My God!" John 20:28. Jesus then says "You believed because you have seen, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29. Are you like Thomas? Don't be. Jesus came and took the suffering and punishment so that we can be with God in Heaven and reign with him for all eternity. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 This is my thoughts and desires for this Easter day. Let us not celebrate and think upon Jesus' death and resurrection only on this one day, but for every single day of our entire lives. He had to be man to die, he had to be God to be sinless. When Christ died on the cross, God saw this as the payment for all of our sins. Christ was our substitute. He died in our place. The Bible tells us many things about His love for us, one notible is Isaiah 53:6 "The Lord has laid upon Christ the sin of us all". Look at it this way: The Vikings ruled the sea and took over many different things(things I guess as far as islands and stuff). There was then this new leader who arose up. Early on in his reign of being King someone was stealing from the treasury. The King ordered that when the theives were caught they would be given ten lashes for their crimes. Time went by and still nobody confessed or was captured. The King then ordered twenty lashes. Still nobody was caught and nobody confesses. The King finally decited fifty lashes to those who were caught in the ring of robberies from the treasury. Well finally after all this time they had caught the one stealing from the treasury. Guess who it was? The King's mother... So now the King had a decision to make, he is ordered to punish the guilty of their crimes. However can his love be so great for his mother to let her go? Well the time came for him to make his decision about what to do with his mother. And it was ordered by law that he MUST punish the guilty. So the entire nation came to see what decision he would make. He ordered his mother to be tied up in front of the entire nation and her back to be exposed. Just before the first lash begins he stops them. He walks up behind his mother, pulls up the back of his shirt and takes all of the punishment for her. His love was satisfied for his mother by being punished for her crimes and sins that she had committed. It is the same with God, his love was satisfied and demonstrated, as well as his justice when he sent His only son into this world to take the punishment of our sins for us. Imagine if you had to take fifty lashes and God walked up behind you and took them all for you. Now, imagine you were being beat, hit, and tortured. Yes just try to imagine. You were being hit by different people with whips and obtaining lashes. However, there were nails and thorns and pieces of glass on the tips of them and they would just shred you to bits. You were then mocked and given a crown of thorns which sunk into your head. Then you had to carry this heavy heavy cross an entire mile after that sevdere beating. They then put you on it and drove huge nails in both hands and both feet. They then left you there to die. Now you can't imagine the pain of that to be honest. But say that Jesus stood up before that happened and took the entire thing for YOU. What kind of God would love us SO much to send his son to be crucified like that? What comes to mind is the verse from Jeremiah 31:3 where God tells us "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love" that loves continues to this day. This paints a gruesome picture, but it also paints how great the love of our Heavenly Father is. "How Great Is Our God"? Now we all know about doubting Thomas in the late part of the twentieth chapter of the book of John, right? Well I didn't until I had studied it a couple of weeks ago. Jesus appeared to many, worked miracles with many. Some came to Thomas and told him about the Lord "We have seen him!" Thomas replied "Until I see him with my own two eyes and touch his side and put my finger into the holes in his hands and feet and smell him I will not believe". Most of this is paraphrased by the way. The Lord appears before him and says "Stop doubting and believe". Thomas then said "My Lord! My God!" John 20:28. Jesus then says "You believed because you have seen, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29. Are you like Thomas? Don't be. Jesus came and took the suffering and punishment so that we can be with God in Heaven and reign with him for all eternity. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 This is my thoughts and desires for this Easter day. Let us not celebrate and think upon Jesus' death and resurrection only on this one day, but for every single day of our entire lives. en-us