The Royal Wedding Celebration That You are Invited To Attend

The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was an impressive event. The pomp, ceremony, and grandeur was unequalled; certainly beyond the means of what the average bride and groom could ever expect. While millions of people were able to watch the Royal Wedding yesterday on television and on large screens, only a select few were important enough that they were able to personally attend the ceremony inside Westminster Abbey and enjoy the wedding party afterward.

The scriptures tell us that there will be a Royal wedding celebration someday that every believer in Christ will have the privilege of attending. This ceremony is called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and will be grand and glorious beyond anything that humans could ever imagine; since it is being hosted by the Lord Himself. The Apostle John was given a glimpse of this celebration; Revelation 19: 6-9 describes it:

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"—
   

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."


The invitation to the greatest celebration that will ever exist is open to you today, if you confess and believe in Christ.

Bible quote from the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible.

10 Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

1.       A public execution ensured His death. Jesus’ execution was witnessed by hundreds of people. There was no question that he died an agonizing death in the presence of those who condemned him, those who loved him, and at the hands of professional executioners.

2.       A high official secured the grave site. Joseph of Arimathea offered his own grave site for Jesus’ body. Joseph was one of Counsel of Sanhedrin that condemned Jesus to death.

3.       In spite of guards, the grave was found empty. Jesus’ grave was guarded by Roman Legionaries, professional soldiers of the time, who knew that to fail in their job as a guard was to die.

4.       His apostles were dramatically changed. Doubters, deniers, and apostles who were fearful of death became fearless proclaimers of the risen Christ, who were now willing to suffer and die.

5.       Many people claimed to have seen Him alive. The Apostles John and Paul indicate when they wrote their letters that many people still alive then had seen the risen Christ.

6.       Jewish believers changed their day of worship. The Friday evening/Saturday Sabbath was a foundation of Jewish culture. To set this practice aside to instead, worship on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, was no small thing.

7.       Witnesses were willing to die for their faith. People may die unknowingly for a lie, but no one dies for something they know is a lie. The Christians were willing to die for what they knew was true.

8.       Although it was unexpected, it was clearly predicted. Not only was Jesus’ death predicted by the Hebrew Prophets, but Jesus himself predicted his own death and resurrection in all four Gospel accounts.

9.       It was a fitting climax to a miraculous life. Not only was it a fitting climax for someone who, even according to non-Christian accounts, demonstrated miraculous powers and healings. It was also a fitting climax to someone who claimed to be the divine Son of God, was put to death for alleged blasphemy, and the resurrection is God’s affirmation of Jesus Christ’s status.

10.   It fits the experience of those who trust him. The resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead has transformed the lives of countless people, and is something we can experience today.

Bibliography:

Day of Discovery: 10 Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Christ video. 1992. RBC Ministries. Grand Rapids MI.

See His Love

On Good Friday, we remember what Jesus Christ did for us by dying on the cross for our sins. The video below reminds us what His love looks like.



Jesus Heals the Leper

Mark 1: 40-45: “A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.  Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning:  “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the Law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him. (NLT Bible)

Lepers were the outcasts of ancient society, forced to live away from the general population. They were regarded then as some people with AIDS are regarded today. Furthermore, the Jewish religious customs prevented lepers from even joining into community with others of the same faith.

Leprosy is a terrible disease. It attacks the central nervous system, destroying the nerve endings, and can cause severe disfigurement through skin lesions.  A cure for leprosy was unknown. Death was certain.

Sin is a lot like leprosy. It infects all people and is incurable. Our sin is the reason we are deteriorating. Our sin is also what is causing what is wrong in the world. The ugliness of our sin separates us from a holy and righteous God. As time goes on, we get worse and it eventually leads to our death. Like the leper, we are hopeless and helpless in our condition; we cannot heal ourselves.

The good news is that God has other plans for lepers and sinners. Jesus showed compassion towards the leper. Hearing his cry for help, Jesus unhesitatingly and without fear of religious or societal protocols, reached out and touched the leper, healing him.

God knows our sinful condition and has compassion for us as well. Though our morbid sinful state is repulsive in his sight, God has also reached out to us through Jesus. Instead of simply touching us with just his hand, our sin required that Jesus give himself up to be crucified on a cross, so that by the shedding of his blood, an atonement for our sin could be made. When Jesus declared from the cross “It is finished,” our sin dept was paid in full.

Not only does Jesus death on the cross make atonement for our sin, but Jesus resurrection from the dead proves that He has conquered death and hell. Jesus promised his believers that he was going to make a place for them in heaven.

The question for us today is: Like the leper, do we have the faith to come out from the shadows of our sinful state and the worry about what others may think, and boldly ask Jesus to heal us?

If you have faith that Jesus death paid the sacrifice for your sin, and you repent and believe, you can be healed of your sin like the leper was healed of leprosy. You can have a relationship with the Living God and have hope for the future in Eternity. Ask Jesus to heal you today.

Like the leper, it would not be surprising if you told others of your great joy in being healed. Please contact me if you would like to tell someone, or you have any questions or would like to discuss this Good News.

Dave

How to Know God

In this video, Greg Laurie explains how you can know God.

Read Greg's article entitled "How to Know You're A Christian" at the link below:

http://www.billygraham.org/articlepage.asp?articleid=6315