Good Morning Everybody !!!

Resurrection Sunday is right around the corner and I see all the Easter stuff lining the shelves at the store and countless people getting ready to celebrate. People out buying pretty baskets with chocolate bunnies and candy galore. And also buying Easter clothes to visit family and go Easter egg hunting. While some people attend a Church service out of respect and other people don’t. I heard one person say they don’t go any other time so that don’t want to be a hypocrite and go on that day either. But I wonder what would happen if people really could get a grasp on what that day really means. I know a lot of people that are turned off by church and Christians and the truth is I can’t blame them one bit. However, today, the word “religion” is on my mind. I have noticed that most religions are hung up (no pun intended) on the crucifixion of Christ. They still see Him hanging on the cross. And that is as far as they get in their walk with Jesus. But Jesus is not still hanging there. In fact, He is risen from the grave. He rose up from that agonizing death on the cross and burial in that tomb to bring us life. There is more to salvation than just having a place secured in Heaven when we pass away. Jesus died so we could have life and life abundantly. I have heard and seen so many people turn away from Jesus and they all say the same thing, “I just don’t want none of that religious stuff”. Religion kills, in fact it was the religious people that killed Jesus on the cross. Jesus died so that we could have a relationship. Being a true Christian is not a religion, but a relationship with the Father. It was the resurrection of Jesus that brings life to us, physically and spiritually. Have y’all ever noticed that religious people walk around with a death mentality. They are never happy or show any amount of joy, and if we are happy in our walk with Jesus, they act and some people have even voiced their opinion that we are going straight to hell in a handbag. We don’t dress right or talk right, and most definitely don’t look right. We do not fit their religious molds. Here is my opinion on that, “well bless their little ole hearts”.

Religion stinks !!!

I am here to tell y’all

How can y’all have a relationship with somebody that is dead?

Jesus’ resurrection was His most glorious moment, y’all know why? He conquered death and the grave.

Have y’all really thought about what conquered means? Conquered means vanquish, defeat, subdue, reduce, overcome, overthrow by force. Jesus went to hell and took back the keys that Satan had stolen.

I want to share something here. When Jesus was being beaten and He bled and He died on that cross, He did that to pay a ransom for us. In the Heavenly Kingdom, there is a justice system. On this earth, we have a justice system, granted it has gone haywire, evil is now good, and good is now evil, and the justice system is more corrupt than ever, but we do have a justice system, and the Kingdom of Heaven has one too. In fact, that is where the Justice system originated. (That is another message for later)

Jesus came to this earth to become a human in the flesh, and to live a sinless life and to pay with His blood the price for our sins so that we would not have to. Who else would do that for us? I know of nobody that would die for me. While Jesus was being beaten and hung on that cross, Scriptures say that in Isaiah 53:3-5 (ESV)  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  (4)  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  (5)  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

That means that He literally carried in His body our sickness, and pains and He literally took our punishment on His physical body so that we would not have to. It is our choice whether or not to accept what He did on that cross. If we choose not to accept His free gift then that means we would rather pay the price for our own sins ourselves. But the choice is ours to be made, nobody can do that for us, it is a personal choice.

I have even heard people say that if God wants to save me then He will save me. God doesn’t violate your freewill people. I have even heard people talk about predestination with God. Yes, God has a plan for your life, but it is up you to choose to walk in it. God is not going to force you to do anything, even be saved from eternal damnation. God doesn’t send anybody to hell that ask Him for forgiveness and accepts His free gift. I even know people that ask God for forgiveness and then they turn around and go right back to the mess they were just delivered from. I ain’t going to lie here, the struggle is real. But this one thing I do know, when we ask Jesus to come in our life and we make Him Lord over our lives, He promised us a comforter, a Helper and that Helper which is the Holy Spirit will guide you in the way your should walk but it is your choice whether to listen to the still small voice or ignore Him. Also remember “Religion kills”, and a relationship with Jesus is life.

Hebrews 10:14 (AMP)¹⁴ For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity].

Philippians 4:19 (AMP) ¹⁹ And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 53 (AMP) Who has believed [confidently trusted in, relied on, and adhered to] our message [of salvation]? And to whom [if not us] has the arm and infinite power of the Lord been revealed?
² For He [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender shoot (plant),
And like a root out of dry ground;
He has no stately form or majestic splendor
That we would look at Him,
Nor [handsome] appearance that we would be attracted to Him.
³ He was despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief;
And like One from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him.

⁴ But [in fact] He has borne our griefs,
And He has carried our sorrows and pains;
Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken,
Struck down by God and degraded and humiliated [by Him].
⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing];
The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him,
And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.
⁶ All of us like sheep have gone astray,
We have turned, each one, to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]
To fall on Him [instead of us].

⁷He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself];
Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before her shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
⁸ After oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation [His contemporaries], who [among them] concerned himself with the fact
That He was cut off from the land of the living [by His death]
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke [of death] was due?
⁹ His grave was assigned with the wicked,
But He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

¹⁰ Yet the Lord was willing
To crush Him, causing Him to suffer;
If He would give Himself as a guilt offering [an atonement for sin],
He shall see His [spiritual] offspring,
He shall prolong His days,
And the will (good pleasure) of the Lord shall succeed and prosper in His hand.
¹¹ As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He shall see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge [of what He has accomplished] the Righteous One,
My Servant, shall justify the many [making them righteous—upright before God, in right standing with Him],
For He shall bear [the responsibility for] their sins.
¹² Therefore, I will divide and give Him a portion with the great [kings and rulers],
And He shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
Because He [willingly] poured out His life to death,
And was counted among the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore and took away the sin of many,
And interceded [with the Father] for the transgressors.

Leviticus 16:22 (AMP)²² The goat shall carry on itself all their (the Israelites) wickedness, carrying them to a solitary (infertile) land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

Romans 5:1 (AMP) Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

Matthew 8:16-17 (ASV) “… and healed all that were sick: ¹⁷ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases.“

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ASV)^” Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.“