Jack

Zechariah 12:1-6

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New International Version

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12 A prophecy: The word of the Lord concerning Israel.
The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares:2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

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[Part 1 of 3]

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3/31/2024 - The Gospel - Easter Sunday

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Some people I know are very religious, but God instructs that religion doesn't save us.

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Isaiah 64:6
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

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Satan's greatest lie may be that good works can help sinners escape the punishment of hell and merit the joy of heaven. This lie is used by all world religions to control people and hold them in legalistic bondage. It may be the most damning lie perpetrated on the human race because by it the saving grace of God is nullified by man's worthless works.

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Romans 11:6
English Standard Version
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

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Since grace, the unmerited favor of God, is the only means by which God saves sinners, anyone attempting to merit eternal life has instead earned death

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Romans 6:23
English Standard Version

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23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Only by God's grace do we get what we don't deserve -- heaven. And only by His mercy do we avoid getting what we do deserve -- hell.

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The only work the can save sinners is the work of Christ. Jesus Christ finished the work that was impossible for finite men to do.

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Psalm 49:7-8
English Standard Version

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7 Truly no man can ransom another,
or give to God the price of his life,
8 for the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,

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He paid the eternal debt for sin and lived the perfect life required for entrance into heaven. Christ died "for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18)

By His death and resurrection He completed the work of man's redemption. Thus for sinful man to believe his works can add to, co-mingle with, complement, or surpass the perfect work of Christ is an insult to God's holiness and justice.

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Matthew 23:27-28

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New American Standard Bible 1995

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27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

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[Part 2 of 3)

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Romans 3:9-26

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New International Version

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No One Is Righteous
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

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Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

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If you're like me, you're probably feeling the financial sting caused by our leaders. Prices are going up, more people are living week to week, and debt is mounting higher than we can ever repay.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could pin all that muck – everything you owe that you can never pay back – on one person, and let them take the penalty for your debt?
I have extremely good news:

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https://twitter.com/MattSmethurst/status/1644144540675129344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1644144540675129344%7Ctwgr%5E609143229eb0ce610afa6dc6de1682ade3a2b994%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnotthebee.com%2Farticle%2Fladies-and-gentlemen-do-i-have-good-news-for-you-today

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[Part 3 of 3)

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Isaiah 53:5-6(New International Version)
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

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Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Financial debt in this life may not be canceled, but there is a greater, eternal debt of our own wrongdoing that God has already paid.
And even better, this cancelation of debt is offered as a free gift:

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Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

This gift is not limited to one type of person or group, either. It is available for every person everywhere.

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Romans 5:15
"But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many."

And not only is our debt canceled, but we are adopted into the very family of God as sons and daughters – heirs who are "the righteousness of God."

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2 Corinthians 5:21
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

In other words, it's the best news possible: Eternal life as beloved children of the Creator who made billions of galaxies.
And maybe you think that's crazy. But the fact that you can think and dream and hope and laugh and cry are a testament to that Creator's existence. If God exists and His character is that of a loving Father who would sacrifice everything except his goodness and truth to rescue us, there is no better news.
What must you do then to be saved from all the anxiety, pain, mean words, lies, crimes, addictions, that fills your life – and the death that will come for us all?

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Romans 10:9
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

I'll leave you with this classic from Pastor Alistair Begg:
The Man on the Middle Cross Said I Can Come | Alistair Begg
youtu.be/xk9wgJBoEd8?t=22

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Copied and adapated for the Glory of God. Original Here: (NottheBee) The Babylon Bee
https://notthebee.com/article/ladies-and-gentlemen-do-i-have-good-news-for-you-today
notthebee.com

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May you find the peace that passes understanding, and the immutable joy of having an eternal home and loving savior.
May you find the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and the love and grace he has for all that profess his name.
Godspeed,
Jack

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Matthew 6:15
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

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1 John 1:9
New American Standard Bible 1995
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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I think it's really interesting that this verse says God is righteous because he forgives us. That's what it says in this translation. Other translations say 'Just,' but it means righteousness. Very interesting.

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I'm quick to forgive people, even when they don't deserve it.

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I would also like to point out that forgiveness is giving away the right to take revenge.
Forgiveness and removing yourself from a situation or person to protect yourself are two different things.

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I still pray blessings on my enemies, and I think that means I've forgiven them at heart. Even people who are trying to send me to hell.

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That's what Luke 6:28 says to do:

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Luke 6:28
New American Standard Bible
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you.

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