A Personal Note from Pastor's Pen - Holy Week

This week is holy week! It was in this week, over 2k years ago, that Jesus died for our sins upon the cross of Calvary. But, being the sinless Son of God, after 3 days of being buried in the tomb, Jesus on the first day of the week arose from the grave! His resurrection, that Sunday morning, defeated the power of death, hell, and the grave. It is this same victory that Christ gives to all those who accept Him to be their Savior by faith, because Jesus said in John 11:25 1 am the Resurrection! In getting excited about Resurrection Sunday one week from today, may we never over look the significance of today, Palm Sunday. It was known as Palm Sunday because on this day Jesus Triumphantly rode into Jerusalem as people of all ages threw palm branches in His way.

They were signifying the King has come! But, it wasn't the king that the Jews were expecting. They thought that Jesus was there to defeat the Romans and give liberation to their nation. Yet, Jesus was there to accomplish something far better than physical freedom, He was there to pay the debt of sin so that He could give them spiritual freedom. The two can't compare! Physical freedom brings a lifetime of joy and peace, but spiritual freedom brings an eternity of Joy and Peace! This week, holy Week is special for many reasons, but there is one I want to bring to your attention today. Several times throughout the scriptures, Jesus would work a miracle that the Pharisees didn't like. In their hatred of Jesus, they would pick up stones to try to kill Him but the bible says that He would pass through the midst, because His hour had not come.

This is an interesting phrase, signifying that before the world was ever created, God had designed for Christ to die on a certain day, on a certain hill, on a certain hour, on a certain cross. That is why Jesus during the early part of his ministry, would tell people not to share the miracle that He had performed, because He knew that every miracle enraged the Jewish leaders against Him. Since Jesus had begun His earthly ministry, they had been seeking ways to kill him. Now their wait Was over! Because in John 12:23, Jesus tells His disciples just moments after His Triumphant entry, That His Hour Had come! Because of this, Jesus didn't hold back. Take time to read John 12-21 to see what He did, this week, long ago.

- Pastor Tommy