Even In The Darkest of Times
Each year, we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The crucifixion has been depicted time after time. Often times deemed too gruesome to watch, but did these filmmakers truly go too far with their depiction of the cross, or has the Church watered down Jesus’ sacrifice? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the full burden Christ carried on this earth in his message, He Suffered It All For Us.
The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are two of the most revered days in history. Jesus was crucified alongside two thieves. Because it was the Day of Preparation, they didn’t want the men on the cross on the Sabbath; they asked Pilate to have their legs broken. When they got to Jesus, He was already dead, so His legs weren’t broken. This fulfilled many prophecies about Christ, but what was the significance? Why was it important that Jesus’ legs weren’t broken? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the mystery behind this prophecy fulfilled in his Resurrection Sunday message, No Broken Bones.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on Him whom they have pierced.”
John 19:31-37
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Every year, we celebrate Jesus’ Triumphal (Triumphant) Entry into Jerusalem. This celebratory entrance into Jerusalem started the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry because before the week ended, He would be betrayed, condemned, crucified, and buried. We all know the story, but is there anything we may have overlooked or missed? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to some mysteries of Jesus’ Triumphal (Triumphant) Entry in his Palm Sunday Message, Choosing Jesus.
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, He began to tell them what was to happen to Him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise.”
Mark 10:32-34
1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11 And He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when He had looked around at everything, as it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Mark 11:1-11
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Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted what Jesus did for us on the cross. We’re mere humans who are quick to forget. In some cases, many of us are lied to and told that our actions cannot impact our salvation. We’re told that healing, gifts of the Spirit, and abundant life is no longer for us. So, what was the purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice if all that He did wasn’t for us? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the great price our Savior paid for us in his powerful and sobering Easter Sunday message, The High Price That Jesus Paid.
33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed His last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Mark 15:33-39
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This is the day that we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This Resurrection Sunday (Easter Sunday) is three days after the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. And with His death, He purchased the souls of men with His own blood, and with His resurrection on the third day, He gave us eternal life. But before He could get to the resurrection, He had to go through the death and torture on the cross. The constant reminder of the price that He would have to pay for the redemption of the souls of mankind weighed on His shoulders. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the True price Jesus paid for our sins in His Resurrection Sunday (Easter Sunday) message, Now Is My Soul Troubled.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther He fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And He said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Matthew 26:36-46
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22 The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ~ Luke 9:22
For three days and three nights, all hope had seemed to vanish. The Son of God had been crucified and lay dead in a tomb; the world itself darkened without its light. But the story didn’t end there. On that third day, when everything seemed hopeless and bleak, the Son of God rose from the dead, conquering not only sin but death itself.
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
We rejoice this Resurrection Sunday (Easter Sunday) because our hope, the Light of the World, is no longer dead. Our God is alive and well. He is seated on His throne in glory and honor. He prepared the way for us. He overcame the entire world, even death, for us. And because He rose from the dead, so shall we. Because death had no power over Him, it shall have no power over us. Because He overcame sin, so shall we overcome sin through Him. All things are now possible for those who believe in the power of the LORD Jesus Christ, for He Was, He Is, and He Is To Come.
He is coming back, but this time it won’t be to die. It’ll be to resurrect us from our dying bodies and then to bring the righteous wrath of God upon those who refused to accept His loving sacrifice.
Oh LORD God, thank You for Your loving sacrifice. Thank You for each stripe on Your back that brought us healing, every piercing and every bruise that brought us forgiveness for our transgressions and iniquities, every chastisement that brought us peace, and especially every drop of blood spilled for it is by Your blood we have been washed clean. Thank You for Your sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
Today we celebrate the Resurrection of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. And just as the early Church was mocked because of their faith in the Resurrection, so are we today. Look at what the world says about Easter. It’s the Easter Bunny. Eggs. Candy. Family Time, but no Resurrection. In fact, they say it’s foolish to even believe in the Resurrection. They say Christ didn’t arise and shine before men and women because He is dead.
The world will tell us that there was and is no resurrection. They’ll try to convince us that Jesus was just a man like everyone else; there was and is nothing miraculous about Him or His story. Yet, so many willingly laid down their lives as they declared that Jesus was dead and then rose again on the third day. As Christians, this is our core belief; why? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he touches our hearts with his powerful Easter Sunday message, ‘Arise and Shine.’
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where He lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Matthew 28:1-10
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Mark 16:1-8
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
Luke 24:1-12
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
John 20:1-10
4 We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Romans 6:4-6
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Christ had to first arise (The Resurrection) and shine (show them His glory) before His disciples and the people of His time so that one day we might be able to arise from the ashes of our old self and shine before the people of our time. Look what the Scripture says about how we are to arise and shine:
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16-17
This is why we celebrate Easter. This is why we worship and gather together, especially on Easter Sunday. Because on Saturday night, our God was dead in the grave, but on Easter Sunday, our God rose again, defeating death and the grave. This Resurrection Sunday, remember all that our God went through for us. All that He gave so that we could live. So, that one day, we could follow in His footsteps and arise and shine as well.
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11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, ~ Hebrews 10:11-12
Jesus came to earth for one purpose and one purpose only, to redeem ALL of mankind from their sins. He came to give the one and only sacrifice that could cleanse mankind of our sins and reconcile us to God. After His sacrifice, He was buried in a tomb, and a huge stone sealed Him in. But, on the third day, Jesus rose again.
We don’t serve a dead God. Our God is alive and well. His life wasn’t taken from Him. He freely gave it. It was His call to redeem us from our sins. No longer is even on this earth, but now He is physically seated at the right hand of God. And because He lives through us, and He is now our High Priest, we have been given the right to enter into the presence of Almighty God. We have now been redeemed, restored, and adopted as Children of God.
So be encouraged today; our Savior is alive and well. He goes before us. He clears the way for us to walk. Jesus has torn the curtain separating man and God. Because our Savior not only lives but is seated in Glory, we can now enter into those places of Glory. We are no longer separated from God.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Enter Into His Places of Glory.
Every year we celebrate Easter and/or Passover, but do we truly understand the purpose of these two significant Holidays? How is an ancient feast connected with a more recent celebration? How are Easter and Passover connected? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he explains the connection between the two in his message, Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread: Part Two.
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.”
14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. 18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”
Exodus 12:1-6; 14-20
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God got off of His throne, came to Earth, was beaten and whipped, He was nailed to a cross, and then He died. But His story didn’t end there. His body didn’t stay in the grave because on the third day; He rose again! Hallelujah! Jesus is alive! God’s not dead! Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he delivers his fiery message, He Is Risen, explaining everything Jesus accomplished on the cross. Oh, Death, where is your sting? Oh, Grave, where is your victory?
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
Luke 24:1-7
Our God is not dead. He is alive and well. Jesus is alive. He is seated at the right hand of the Father. We serve the Living God.
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