Our
Resurrection Readathon will continue
through this weekend. Please
go here for details.
Good Friday/Passover
Friday, March 30, 2018
"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is
finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." (John
19:30)
GOOD FRIDAY: The day our Lord hung on the Cross for three hours, from noon to
three. A day of solemn remembrance.
PASSOVER begins tonight at sundown. Another time of solemn remembrance, when
Jews around the world keep the Torah by hosting seder dinners.
This Special Edition of The Daily Brief will honor all who observe these
traditions today. Shalom . . .
"It . . . is . . . finished . . ."
Holy Week: Day Six
Good Friday
> > > Please read I Corinthians 15: 44-49
Good Friday celebrates the day our Lord died for our sins on the cross. I have
often sat by the hour and tried to imagine the agony and suffering He went
through because of our sins. At one point He said from the cross, "It is
finished" (John 19:30). He meant that God had accepted His work on the
cross as the penalty for our sins. Christ's death on our behalf is the reason
God can forgive us and still be just. And His death teaches us the depth and
breadth that there should be in our forgiveness of one another.
While
that holy Friday was tremendous, it was only a prelude to Sunday morning when
He was raised from the dead. Godly women had come to see His tomb, but angels
made the glorious announcement, "He has risen!" (Luke 24:6). His
resurrection guaranteed that we, too, will be raised, if we are believers and
obeyers of His Word.
A Question to Ponder:
As you celebrate the truth that Jesus came from Heaven to redeem you, are you
reflecting His likeness to those around you?
Our guide to our devotions was written by Billy Graham, and is titled
"Victory: Preparing for Resurrection Sunday." Published by the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association, this special devotional for Holy Week can be
found online by going here:
http://salemnet.vo.llnwd.net/o29/promotions/bgea/victory.pdf
[Please
note: this is not a direct link to the BGEA site. To read all of Billy Graham's
Easter Devotionals, you will need to cut and paste this PDF site into your own
browser.]
Today's Hymn: And Can It Be that I Should
Gain?
"The angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison:
and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, 'Arise up quickly.'
And his chains fell off from his hands." (Acts 12:7)
Words: Charles Wesley, 1738.
Music: Thomas Campbell, 825
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain-
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
'Tis mystery all: th'Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.
He
left His Father's throne above
So free, so infinite His grace-
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race:
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray-
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
Still
the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th'eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th'eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
>
> > To listen to this magnificent hymn being sung by a congregation in
England, please
go here.
[Editor's note: Be sure to read the commentaries on the site below
the hymn. Here is one example:]
What a wonderful rendition of this great hymn! What I especially
love here is the expressions of some of the people where it obvious they know
about what and Whom they sing!
AMEN!
Honoring PASSOVER:
"Chag Sa'meyach"!!
Teachings to Give Us Insight on this Very Special Day
'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to
the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an
everlasting ordinance." (Exodus 12:14)
Did you know that The Last Supper, recorded in the New Testament, was in truth
a Passover Seder? On the night before our Lord was crucified, He led His
disciples in a seder meal, according to the dictates of Torah. And now, when we
look carefully, we can see Christ's presence in the Passover seder.
The three articles below help us to understand the full meaning of the Passover
meal, the Seder, as well as bring insights to help us observe Passover
traditions in our day.
I. CHRIST OUR PASSOVER
(1 Cor. 5:7; Ex. 12: 1-4)
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Eastgate Ministries
Katy, Texas
In this teaching, Pastor Sissom goes into great detail to show us how Christ is
shown in Passover. To read her sermon, please
go here.
II. UNDERSTANDING THE PASSOVER SEDER
A detailed article, written by Pastor Eric Teitelman, House of David Ministries
You will be blessed as you take time to ponder this beautiful teaching! Go
here!
III. 7 Passover Traditions Anyone Can Adopt - Breaking Israel News
Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is a Jewish holiday commemorating the Jewish
liberation by God from slavery in Egypt. In the Book of Exodus, the Hebrew
Bible describes the Israelites freedom under the leadership of Moses.
While non-Jews are not commanded to keep the laws of Passover, anyone can
benefit from its teachings and traditions. Here are seven Passover traditions
anyone can adopt this spring. (Read
more)
The Daily Jot
Thursday, March 29, 2018
The Passover Lamb
As we enter the most holy of celebrations, Passover, let us prepare our hearts,
repent from uncleanliness and seek true understanding of our relationship with
God the Father and the Messiah. In a day and age where being Christian or Jew
is looked down upon, even by some Christians and Jews, we need to have
introspect on our mission in life, how that relates to the Lord, and our
position in the world as we come closer to the end of days. This is the week of
Nisan 10 on the Hebrew calendar. During the week, the sacrificial lambs were to
be examined and only the ones found without blemish would be sacrificed on
Nisan 14 (Friday this year) before the beginning of Pesach, or Passover.
The
Passover coincides with the final days of Christ, his crucifixion, and
resurrection. It is the picture of Christ being the true Passover Lamb, the
sacrifice that liberates mankind from sin, as did God free the Israelites from
the bondage in Egypt. The crucifixion of Christ took place as the Passover
lambs were being sacrificed in the temple in Jerusalem. The Hebrew calendar
starts its days from sundown to sundown, making its timing far different than
the Gregorian calendar that we follow. The Pesach sacrifice (sacrifice of the
Passover lambs) needed to be completed before sundown on Nisan 14 (which is
Friday on our calendar). The Messiah was nailed to the cross, suffered, and
died before sundown on Nisan 14.
Christ
entered Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan, which is the day that the devoted Jews
were choosing their Passover lambs. This is referenced in Matthew 21 where the
great multitude spread their garments and branches on the way saying in verse
9, "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the
highest." Jesus went to the temple and overturned the money changers, his
authority was questioned by the religious leaders, and he gave the great
commandments, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind...and the second one is like unto it, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." He also sat with his disciples and
taught the chronology of what would happen in the end of days. This is called
the Olivet Discourse.
Christ
stated to his disciples in Matthew 26:2, "Ye know that after two days is
the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be
crucified." He then held an early Seder in which he spoke of the wine as
his blood and the bread as his body. The events of the evening followed where
Christ was taken in the garden, brought before the priests who sought a false
witness to put him to death, but as Matthew 26:60 says, "But found
none." He was taken before Pilate who also could find no fault in him, but
allowed the people to decide if he should be crucified. These events follow the
examination of the Passover Lamb who had no blemish. Christ is the true
Passover Lamb as stated in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Christ our Passover is
sacrificed for us," and John 1:29, "Behold the Lamb of God, which
takes away the sin of the world."
Have
a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
Israeli-run Model Passover Seder at the UN Draws 60 Envoys
"While we are preparing to celebrate the Festival of Freedom and the
struggle of the ancient Jews against bondage and slavery, the Iranian regime
continues to threaten Israel and to spread terror throughout the Middle
East," Danon told the attendees.
The Seder was organized by Israel's Mission to the United Nations, in
cooperation with the European Coalition for Israel, and included ambassadors
from four continents.
Founding Director of the European Coalition Tomas Sandell stressed the
importance of the experience, noting that it would "help explain, among
many other things, the long and unbroken connection between the Jewish people
and the land of Israel."
Read
more.
Sources:
Breaking Christian News; JNS.org
Record Setting Crowd at Passover Sacrifice Reenactment
"And when you enter the land that Hashem will give you, as He has
promised, you shall observe this rite." (Exodus 12:25)
The seventh annual reenactment of the Pesach (Passover) sacrifice took place on
Monday, bringing the Nation of Israel ever closer to the Third Temple than
before.
"We can see the Third Temple rising on the horizon," Shimshon Elboim,
one of the organizers of the event, told Breaking Israel News. "It used to
be just a small group of activists who showed up, but this year, the Passover sacrifice
reenactment went mainstream."
Approximately 1,500 people, the largest crowd ever, gathered to watch some 20
Kohanim (Jewish men descending from Aaron the Priest) dressed in authentic
priestly garments performing the full Passover ceremony as it was in Temple
times.
The
ceremony was accompanied by blasts from silver horns and other musical
accompaniment. Two goats were slaughtered and their blood was collected in
silver vessels to be spilled out on a model of the altar. The goats were
roasted whole in the manner described in the Torah and served to the Jews
gathered to witness the reenactment.
Mordechai
Persoff, head of the Mikdash Educational Center, a non-profit organization for
education about the Temple, spoke of the importance in performing the Paschal
offering.
"This is the only sacrifice that if a Jew does not bring it, he receives
the most severe punishment: Karet, being cut off from the people," Persoff
explained to Breaking Israel News. "Even though it is a personal
sacrifice, it is brought as a nation."
Persoff
said that the reenactment reflected the national aspect of redemption.
"Every branch of Judaism from Secular to Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox),
Ashkenazi and Sephardi, young and old, were all at the event." Persoff
said with enthusiasm.
"That is how geula (redemption) happens: when all of Israel comes
together. The Temple is, after all, where we get together because it is the
source of true peace." (Breaking Israel News) Read
more.
On the Eve of Passover, Words of Torah Heard in the White House
When was the last time words of Torah were heard in the White House?
According to U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Representative to
International Negotiations Jason D. Greenblatt, it was this week on Tuesday
(March 27, 2018), during a visit by a group of rabbinical students from
Yeshivat HaKotel just days before the start of the Passover holiday.
The brief "drosh" (discussion) was delivered by Moshe Wasserman,
according to Greenblatt, who thanked him for the privilege and thanked the
group for the visit.
"It was a pleasure to host all of you," Greenblatt tweeted.
(Source:
Jewish Press) Read
more here.
|
In Closing: Prayer Requests for Israel
|
|
|
Israel is on HIGH ALERT, anticipating violent Palestinian protests this weekend
. . . please see below and pray!
>
> > For a link to all this news, please
go here.
Status of preparations for the "great return march"
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are carrying out intensive preparations for the
"great return march." The first event will be held beginning at
10:00 on Friday morning, March 30 2018. Palestinians will be brought to six
locations along the border security fence (see below). A media center will be
set up on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing. Buses will leave from all
the mosques in the Gaza Strip beginning at 10:00 to bring participants to the
six tent camps along the border.
In addition to civilians, members of Hamas and the other organizations will
participate. Local committees have been appointed to organize the events in the
various districts of the Gaza Strip. They are responsible for recruiting the
masses, organizing transportation, and providing food, water, portable toilets
and medical services. The activity will peak on May 15, 2018, Nakba Day.
Read
full details here.
(Source:
The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center At the Israeli
Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center)
A Song for Passover:
Passover Promise
By Teresa Thomas
Please enjoy this
lovely song as we meditate upon that great night of deliverance that Abba
brought for His people, many years ago. Amen.
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