A Tale of Two Trees

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
	Podcast: Play in New Window | Download To watch the video, click here.

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.    

John 15:1-8

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

I. verses 1,2

There is a true life source and false life sources. Christ is the only true life source. The father is the developer of the person who’s abiding in Christ.

II. verses 3-5

The Word of God, when received will make one clean. (Eph. 5:25-28) This word is received through abiding in Christ or remaining in Christ. Apart from this abiding in Christ we can do nothing with any lasting importance for God.

III. If we do not remain and abide in Christ we will be unfruitful. Unfruitful branches wither because they have the wrong life source. They are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. The wood in a vine has no real value but to be burned.

• The fruit is the only reason it’s allowed to take up soil.
• Things that make a tree unfruitful (Mark 4:19)

           *Worries of this Life
           *The deceitfulness of wealth
           *Desires for other things

God does not want to make a better you. The best good you have to offer this world is to realize that Jesus can flow through you. He wants you to come into agreement with him that you must die to yourself.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

IV. If we are abiding in Christ, it opens up God’s response to our prayer life! God wants us to produce fruit and when we’re abiding in Christ our prayers are going to be all about God’s will. When God answers these prayers it brings glory to himself.

1 John 5:14,15
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

What does it mean to be Fruitful?

Fruit Production is twofold:
1. It is developing the character of Christ in oneself.
2. It’s also being a part of reproducing Christ in others.

The order is significant. A man drowning in sin should not think he has much righteous help to offer another drowning man.

Character

Galatians 5:22-24
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Reproducing Christ in Others

God expects us to abide in Christ and thus be an agent to multiply the kingdom of God into the hearts of others.

The Greek word translated 'bear' in 'bears no fruit' is the word phero, and the Greek word translated 'fruit' is karpos. Both are used in the Parable of the Sower found in Mark 4:1-8

'It came up, grew and produced a crop [karpos: fruit, crop, harvest] multiplying [phero: bearing] thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.' (Mark 4:8).

By using the same Greek words in both teachings, the Bible is showing that producing a crop in Mark 4 and bearing fruit in John 15, are one and the same thing.

Have you ever wondered why some are effective at reproducing Christ in others while some are not? Well, John 15 tells us that when we abide or remain in Christ we’ll bear fruit. I believe this is true but sometimes we can have things that hinder us from being "others" centered that Christ wants to deal with as we abide in him.

The wounded tree is focused on it’s own problems. It has a gaping wound that it must contend with in order to survive. The sap and water that would normally be pushed down the branches and into budding fruit is consumed on this problem.

Luke 13:6-9
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

I believe that in Christ there is healing power for the wounded soul.

I believe there is mercy and grace from the throne of God to heal our hurting emotions.

I believe this healing process takes time but can be accelerated by our pursuit of Christ.
     *Overcoming Sin
     *Prayer/Bible Meditation/Communing with Christ/Abiding

Christ Life Ministries is also a valuable tool to minister to the hurting soul of people. Please consider being a “Good Samaritan” Pouring on the oil and wine to the wounded. (Luke 10:34)

It’s God’s will that we would be whole and fruitful for him.

People that are treading water, barely keeping their head up, in this life sometimes have a difficult time getting out there and rescuing someone else.

It’s hard to fulfill the great commission when we are drowning in our own problems. Abide in Christ, receive healing, become others focused, and make disciples.

Matthew 28:18b-20
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Then we will have confidence that we are fulfilling our role as fruit bearing disciples of the Lord.
  Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music. Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124
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What Does the Resurrection Mean for Me?

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
	Podcast: Play in New Window | Download To watch the video, click here.

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.
Thesis:
The resurrection of Christ has direct and immediate implications on the daily life of the faithful believer and those relationally connected to the believer.

Outline:
1. We are saved by believing that Jesus was raised from the dead
2. Death has been overcome
3. The Spirit of God gives life to our bodies
4. Resurrection Power for Us

1. We are saved by believing that Jesus was raised from the dead

Romans 10:9,10
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

What does it mean to be saved?

Sōzō –
1 a: to save b: to heal c: to deliver
2: to save a suffering one, to make well, heal, to deliver from penalties of judgment.          *saved/healed/delivered

Sōzō translated 'Saved'

Acts 2:47
47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Sōzō translated 'Healed'

Matthew 9:22
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Sōzō translated 'Delivered'

2 Timothy 4:18
18And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

2. Death has been overcome

1 Cor. 15:54-57
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because Christ was raised, defeating death, we have assurance that one day, we will also be resurrected. He is the first fruits of the resurrection.

3. The Spirit of God gives life to our bodies

Romans 8:11
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

4. Resurrection Power for Us

Unbelief
Unbelief is the biggest enemy to seeing the following truth’s manifest in our lives. In the same way God told the Israelites they could take the promised land and they didn’t believe it, is the same way you can hear what I’m getting ready to tell you and you won’t believe it. You may say amen with your head but do you really believe what I’m getting ready to tell you in your heart. It’s God’s word and truth!

Because Jesus obeyed his father unto death, even death on the cross, He was raised from the dead and he’s now seated in heavenly places above all rule and dominion.

Resurrection Power for Us

Ephesians 1:18-23
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 2:6
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
A. The eyes must be enlightened or this reality is not perceivable. (he who has ears to hear)
     1. Hope that he’s called us to
         a. Hopeless people are powerless people, they can’t change their circumstances.
     2. Riches of his glorious inheritance
     3. Incomparably great power for us who believe

B. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead
     1. The resurrection power of God seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
     2. far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and
     3. Above every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
     4. the fullness of Christ fills everyone in the Church in every way.

As believers in Jesus Christ we need our eyes opened to the resurrection power that’s available to us today. Is there something in your life from the enemy that’s harming you, hurting you? The Bible promises that Christ and thus you, by virtue of the covenant, are higher than this name.
* Disease
* Demons

Conclusion:
The resurrection of Christ has direct and immediate implications on the daily life of the faithful believer and those relationally connected to the believer.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124



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Spiritual Heart Surgery

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
	Podcast: Play in New Window | Download To watch the video, click here.

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.       Thesis:
We need God’s heart in us if we’re going to be effective for God in our region of influence.

When I talk about having God’s heart I’m talking about God’s feelings and thoughts becoming our feelings and thoughts; hating what God hates and loving what God loves.
1. Can we have God’s heart?
2. How do we get God’s heart?
3. How and why do we protect our hearts?
4. What happens when we get God’s heart?

1. Can we have God’s heart?

Ezekiel 11:19-21
19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

1 Corinthians 2:16
for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

2. How do we get God’s heart?

It’s a supernatural work of God’s grace but there are some things we can do in order to position ourselves “under the spout where the glory comes out.”

James 4:8
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

We must seek God Relationally
*Bible meditation/memorization/confession
*P.U.S.H. Pray Until Something Happens
*Avoid “unnecessary” Ungodliness/Be Holy

Bible Meditation

Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Psalm 119:11
11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Joshua 1:8
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Prayer

In the book Successful Leadership through the Government of 12
“The growth of our church and the growth of Christianity throughout the nation of South Korea did not come by accident. It came through fervent, violent and prevailing prayer, of which the foundation of the foundation of the vision is made. As Jesus said in Matthew 11:12 “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” Until recently, it took great sacrifice to be a Christian in South Korea. But now at least one-fourth of our nation are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The church in Columbia is experiencing a similar impact. Our Lord is truly moving all over the world.” ~Dr. David Younggi Cho

We must spend quality time in God’s presence through prayer if we expect to catch his heart.

Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

James 5:16b
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (for healing)

Hebrews 5:7
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

3. Why and how do we Protect our Hearts?

The Why…

Matthew 15:18-20
18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’”

Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

The How…
Prayer protects the heart God has given us.

Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Thought Control

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I believe we also need to control our mouth’s. I believe God’s given you creative power in your mouth and that when you speak things out into the realm of the earth they begin to take shape.

4. What Happens When we Get God’s Heart?

How you can know if you have or are developing a heart for God, is that your language will change. (Luke 6:45)  You will begin to say things from your heart, that reflect the mind, feelings, and will of God.

Jeremiah 20:9
But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

Matthew 12:33-37
33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

A person that has God’s heart will have a heart for prayer, holiness, souls, the Word etc. These things naturally flow from God’s heart to the hearts of those who are seeking him.

People with God’s heart will love what he loves and hate what he hates.

Conclusion:
We need God’s heart in us if we’re going to be effective for God in our region of influence.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124



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How Things Get Accomplished

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
	Podcast: Play in New Window | Download To watch the video, click here.

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.   

  I.    Dream It – Understand God’s Will
  II.   Plan It – Administrate the plan
  III.  Build It – Get to Work

In order for things to happen in the Church there must be a heavenly dream, vision or direction. This is followed by an administrative plan to execute the vision, then it’s followed by work.



Dream It

Prayer and Bible Meditation

Your dream, if it’s going to be God’s plan for your life, must come from prayer and Bible meditation.

I, as well as several others in the Church, have been having visions of our Church building full of people.

The Vision

Habakkuk 2:2b
“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald[a] may run with it.

*Or so that whoever reads it
*The vision needs to be articulated in a simple way.

Plan It

The Plan of God

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Psalm 127:1b
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

This passage doesn’t mean the Lord literally builds the house; it means the Lord speaks to the builders what to build, where to build, and how to build and the builder’s hear and obey the direction of the Lord.

Psalm 33:11
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

God will find someone to execute his plan.  We want to make sure we’re in the plan in a positive way. I want to see the glory and manifestations of God.

Luke 19:44
44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

God came to the Jews in the person of Jesus the Messiah, but they failed to recognize him and rejected him, this resulted in national judgment.

I believe it’s in the heart of God to send a wave of renewal, revival, and awakening across the United States of America. The question then becomes, what role are we going to play in this?

*Oblivious to it?
*Watching from the sidelines?
*Riding the waves of revival?

Proverbs 15:22
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Build It

Settle the Issue

When we’ve decided what GOD is saying then we should settle the issue and go for it.

James 1:6-8
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

God gives the information and the inspiration to do the work.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Acts 4:33
With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.

So the vision God has given us is to win souls and make disciples. This will require a plan and some work.

The Plan

• Pray for the passion of Jesus to reside and increase in the people of this Church.
• The plan is to teach everyone who’s willing an easy to remember, hard to forget, and fun way to share their faith.
• Find leaders in the congregation who are willing and capable of teaching others by demonstration.
• Release these new leaders to teach others by demonstration.
• The end result looks like multiple, increasing, teams going out into the community effectively sharing their faith.

Nehemiah’s Response

Nehemiah 1:3b-4
The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

In some figurative ways, the walls of our Country are broken down. There are multitudes of people within our country, city, and even churches who don’t know the Lord.

Have we taken the time to pray and allow God to touch our emotions at a deep and consistent level?

II Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

In order for things to happen in the Church, there must be a heavenly dream, vision, or direction. This is followed by an administrative plan to execute the vision, then it’s followed by work.

Having God’s Mind

In conclusion, I want to go back to the concept of vision and hearing from God and what this does inside the heart of a person. In the context of Nehemiah's call to rebuild the wall’s of Jerusalem.

A Call to Anguish
 ~David Wilkerson
Something from the previous generation is in danger of being lost.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124



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The Incredible Value of a Soul

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
	Podcast: Play in New Window | Download To watch the video, click here.

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.

Thesis - God loves you and wants a relationship with you. He’s done what’s reasonable to reach out to you. Now it’s your turn to allow him to change your heart, causing his priorities to become yours. Nothing is more important to God than a soul!

God loves Mankind and wants a relationship with the Lost! (Eph 2:12)



* The height of God’s creation
    - A word on evolution

    - Free will

* The Redemption Plan

* The Cross

* Heaven

Humanity

In Genesis 2 and 3 we see God creating mankind at the pinnacle of his creation.

All those in favor of evolution raise your right hand!

All three leaders tried to get the people to serve the state over their worship of God.

Joseph Stalin (1879-1953), surpassed even Hitler in eugenic zeal, murdering at least ten times as many "inferiors" (estimates range from 60,000,000 to 100,000,000 people). Was Stalin wrong? Not if you subscribe to the evolutionary worldview. In fact, to the philosophically consistent, uncompromised evolutionist, Hitler and Stalin ought to be considered role models. And so we see how a worldview can impact human behavior.

Eugenics is the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population, usually referring to the manipulation of human populations.

Hitler and Stalin were very much on this page rooted in evolutionary theory.

One of the best strategies to get people to not believe they are valued by God is to make them exist because of random chance. Evolution potentially causes people so see themselves as nothing more than a highly evolved animal.

Darwin published in his book The Origin of Species that he believed God orchestrated the process of evolution however there are many who have come to power and used the ideas of evolution as an alternative to God being the creator, thus devaluing people’s importance.

Romans 1:20,21

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

God from the fall of man has been planning how to redeem mankind for himself. This effort alone shows God’s love and thus the value of a soul.

The Protovangelim

Genesis 2:15

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

The idea of free will allows for Man to make decisions that are foreknown by God but not controlled by God. God created man to have a relationship with him knowing many would not seek after him. However, for the ones that do find Christ and surrender, he redeems them. God is after a love relationship that can only be honestly expressed if there is free will.

From the very beginning of the fall of man, God has been designing a plan to satisfy his own nature and still have a relationship with the creation he loves!

The Cross

1. Avoid the Cross

    *Come Down From the Cross

      Matthew 27:40

      Matthew 27:42

      Mark 15:30

      Mark 15:32

      "Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and      believe!" Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

The Devil and thus the world and world system didn’t want Jesus to go to the cross. They wanted him to come down.

I believe the human side of Jesus wanted to come down also.

    * Gethsemane in Luke 22

Why would the Devil Want Jesus to avoid the Cross?

Colossians 2:15

15[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].

2. Announcement on the Cross

Pilate has a sign made for the cross.

John 19:19-22

19Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."  22Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Why did Pilate stick to his Guns?

• Pilate had revelation knowledge that Jesus was the King of the Jews!
• He didn’t have the courage to release him but he did have a knowing that this man was the King of the Jews.
• Matthew 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

3. At Fault for the Cross?

Who’s Responsible for Putting Jesus on the Cross?

* Is the Romans leadership to blame?
* Is the Jewish religious leadership at fault?

* Are the people at fault?

* Is Judas to blame?

All these are natural components that were used to carry out the crucifixion event but the real reason Jesus went to the cross was because he wanted to pay for your sin debt so he could have a relationship with you.

His love desires a relationship and his justice demands payment for sin.

The solution is the cross! He went to the cross because of love.

4. Adoration of the Cross

Jesus Adored the cross because that meant he could have you!

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 5:7,8

7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

5. My own Accord

John 10:17-18

17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

Matthew 26:52-54

52"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

A suffering Messiah

The most vivid and detailed prediction about the sufferings of the Messiah is the prophecy of Isaiah, which occupies one and a half chapters of his book (the end of the 52nd and all of the 53rd). This prophecy contains such details of the sufferings of Christ, that the reader gets the impression that the prophet Isaiah wrote it at the foot of Golgotha, even though, as we know, the prophet Isaiah lived over seven centuries BC.

The “military might” of One Angel

2 Kings 19:35

That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!

How many people could 12 legions of Angels handle? 13.3 Billion

6. Authority from Above

John 19:8-12

8When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" 11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." 12From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

Pilate in an effort to save his own skin passes the buck of responsibility over to the Jewish leaders for the crucifixion of Jesus. But as we just read, the authority behind the crucifixion was “from above”.

7. Adjusted Meaning

1 Corinthians 1:17,18

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Same Message

*Different Interpretation

  - To the perishing the cross is foolishness

  - To the saved the cross is the power of God

In View of god’s Mercy

Heaven

John 14:1-4

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

1 Thessalonians 4:17

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Conclusion: God loves you and wants a relationship with you. He’s done what’s reasonable to reach out to you. Now it’s your turn to allow him to change your heart, causing his priorities to become yours. Nothing is more important to God than a soul!

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124







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