Easter 2013 He is Alive!!

HE IS ALIVE, OUR JESUS IS ALIVE!

Dear Father in Heaven:  Praise You and thank You for going to the cross for us, and we are so happy this day that You are alive and You are well and that we serve a God who is alive.  Thanks for dying for us, thanks for all the healings You have shown us, thanks for the way You taught by the way You lived when on earth and thanks for not changing ever.  Lord, even on this great day when we give praise for all things we ask that Your  hand is on North Korea and that you block them from war.  We understand that there will be wars and rumors of wars, and it must come, still, Lord, we ask for peace.  Again, thanks for all You do and have done for us, and thanks for this wonderful prayer You left us with that we want to pray together today.

Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.  Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever.  Amen.  In Your wonderful Name,  Jesus, I pray.  Amen.

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and it is Saturday and not Easter Sunday, but I am sending this today so you are sure to  have it for Easter.  This morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole it is beautiful, the sun is up and bright, as is The Son.  Please enjoy your Easter, and know that I love you, and yes, please pass that on.  Please remember this also, Jesus loves everyone, even the sinners, for if He did not love sinners, He would not love us, me and you.  (Yes, I put me ahead of you on this one.)  We must remember to do the same, we must love everyone, EVERYONE, but we must hate their sins, and our sins also.  HAVE A HAPPY EASTER.

This message sent to the Museum of Bus Transportation also, as I am still their Chaplain.

Easter 2013

Picture this:  One morning you and a friend go out early to the cemetery to put some fresh flowers on the grave of a dear friend or relation.  You get to the cemetery at first light and something feels different, something looks different,however, you have never been to the cemetery at first light.

You park your car and get the flowers out and you walk to the grave site of your friend or family member and you notice that thee are grave sites that looked open.  So your first thinking is that some folks might have been buried late the afternoon of the day before and you are thinking that the workers will arrive soon and fill in the open graves.  Then you get to the grave site you came to put the flowers on.  This grave is open also and the heavy vault lid is up on the ground and the casket lid is open and your loved one's body is gone.  How would you feel?  Would you be scared?  You should be, for if you saw this today, you missed the call, you have been left behind!

Our Lord Jesus was placed in the tomb and the tomb sealed and guards placed at the tomb for security reasons on that day we call Good Friday.

Matthew 28:1 - After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  (NIV)

They were going there to put spices on the body of Jesus.  When they arrived they found the STONE WAS ROLLED AWAY and the guards who were standing there were as stone statues.  When they went looking into the tomb an Angel of the Lord came upon them and asked them ...

Luke 24:5B/8 - "Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; He has risen!"  "Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee.  'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again'".  Then they remembered His words.  (NIV)

Folks, there is not one question in my mind that this happened.  It is recorded in our Bibles and I believe my Bible, God's Holy Word, that this happened, and I also HAVE FAITH that it did.  Folks, for the non-believer, this event is recorded in history and there is no way that anyone can say it did not happen.  People saw Jesus killed, they saw Him buried, and as we find out in our coming lessons that Jesus walked and talked again with folks here on earth before He went up into heaven to sit at the right hand of our Father in Heaven to  judge us as we come to get into heaven.

Yes, folks, we serve a Risen Savior, we do not serve a piece of iron, or a stone statue, or anything else, or at least we should not, some non-Christians might worship false Gods, for us.  We serve Jesus, our Lord, and folks, HE IS ALIVE.  I SAID HE IS ALIVE!  Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!!!  AMEN, AND AMEN.

So folks, how would you feel if you were in the sandals of one of the women?  Would you have questions, would you be frightened at first?  Think about it.  You saw this man, your wonderful Friend Jesus put to death on the cross, you saw Him taken down and taken to the tomb.  You saw all of this with your very own eyes and then three days later you go to the tomb and see He is gone.  Your first thought is that someone stole His body, and then You are told He is alive.  You are shocked, then the angel of the Lord reminded you of the words of Jesus, these words:

Luke 24:7 - "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."  (NIV)

You are sort of at peace, but not really sure at this point.  So you are walking along a road talking to each other about this when Jesus comes up to you and walked along with you.  But you did not really know who this man was.  Jesus then asks you ...

Luke 24:17 - "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"  (NIV)

You tell this man Jesus who you did not know at first because Jesus wanted it that way.  After talking about this for a period of time and as evening came on, you arrive at your home and you still did not know this man who started walking with you as Jesus blocked you from knowing.  You invite Jesus to stop and stay over as it was getting late.  When you were at the table to eat, Jesus picked up bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and then he opened your eyes so you might see Him.  He is alive, He is alive, HE IS ALIVE!  You are so excited you now want to tell everyone which is what we are to do.

So, now let us go back to our visit to the local cemetery, and you are standing around that grave of the loved one. You see the other graves open.  What happened the night before, you are thinking, who wanted to rob all these graves, you ask yourself.  Than you started to remember about Jesus and the stories about Jesus, but you did not take it seriously, you put off this personal relationship, and now you are finding out that Jesus returned the night before and as He promised He would.  He came back to get His family, the family of believers, those who were BORN AGAIN.  Oh, how you hated those words, BORN AGAIN.  You went to church once in awhile, in fact most of the time you went two, even three times a year.  You were a good person, you said you believe in God, but you never asked Jesus into your heart and confessed to Him your love for Him.  It is too late, you missed the call.  Jesus has returned.

My dear brothers and sisters, in these days of fighting, of downturn in the economy, when you see killings on the street, when you have loved ones serving in our military in some hotspot in the world, when all else seems to be falling apart, there is hope today.  I tell you, my dear brothers and sisters, there is hope in our Jesus, OUR RISEN SAVIOR.  THERE IS HOPE, AND A BETTER PLACE AHEAD OF US.  Someday our Lord Jesus will return, and I don't know when, it could be today, it could be a thousand years away, not even Jesus knows, only our Father in Heaven.  Only God The Father!  But why wait, don't miss the boat, so to speak.  Put in your reservation for sure entrance to Heaven.  Block the space now by just coming to Jesus.  All this is real, will you join me now and either book your spot or if you have done this already, then renew this Easter Sunday?  Remember, Jesus is alive, you are not serving the dead, our Savior, Jesus Christ, is alive, alive!  Will you join me right now?  Do you have the faith this day to start walking with Jesus?  I cannot pray this one for you, only lead you.

Dear Father in Heaven.  Forgive me this day of my sins.  I do believe in Jesus as my Savior and I want to book my place in Heaven right now, I do not want to let it go another minute.  Help me to repent of my sins and walk the best I can in the footprints of Jesus.  I want to live to please Him, I want to serve Him.  I want to be given life after death, I have the faith now, Father, help me.  In the name of Jesus, I believe and pray and ask to be forgiven.  Amen.

Go forth now, have a great Easter, and remember to share your blessings.  Love ya (pass it on).

Pastor Dan.

HAPPY EASTER - HE'S ALIVE