Author: Steve Nickel

“When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, ’Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’” (Luke 23:33-34).

It took much effort for Jesus to speak while nailed to the cross. Every breath became increasingly difficult. Therefore, each of His “words” spoken on the cross carry significant meaning.

While the soldiers were gambling for His clothing, his first “word” was praying for His Father to forgive them. J.C. Ryle wrote, “These words were probably spoken while our Lord was being nailed to the cross, or as soon as the cross was reared up on end. It is worthy to remark that as soon as the blood of the Great Sacrifice began to flow, the Great High Priest began to intercede.” While others mocked Him, Jesus prayed for them!

The natural tendency would be to beg for one’s life, to shout aloud of one’s innocence, and/or curse those who were mocking and torturing you. Instead, Jesus prays to His Father. The fact that He was asking His Father to forgive them intimates that He had already done so. Jesus understood the bondage that unforgiveness carries with it. He knew that unforgiveness was like drinking poison and waiting for the person who wronged you to die. Unforgiveness in one area can lead to bitterness that affects many areas.

Jesus said, “they do not know what they are doing.” They did know what they were doing. They just did not know the enormity of what they were doing. Jesus was not just another criminal they were putting to death. They were blinded to the reality that He was the Son of God who was willingly giving His life for the payment of their sins as well as the sins of the world – past, present, and future. In fact, “none of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8).

Jesus’ prayer of intercession was a supernatural act. It had a profound impact. Jesus’ intercession paved the way for the conversion of one of the thieves on the cross. Following Jesus’ death, a centurion, one of the soldiers who crucified Jesus, recognized who Jesus was. Jesus’ prayer opened to door to the conversion of thousands on the Day of Pentecost and beyond.

If you have not as of yet, today is the day to RECEIVE GOD’S FORGIVENESS for your sins. Jesus died for you so your sins would be forgiven. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

One last thing…it is time to FORGIVE OTHERS. The first words Jesus speaks while on the cross is about forgiveness. This is significant and practical. Who has been wronged more than Jesus? Have you? I think not. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). These commands are given to us to free us not to torture us. Failing to forgive is first of all a sin of unforgiveness, which grieves the Holy Spirit and stunts the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Pray the prayer that Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive _________________ as I forgive ______________ for they do not know what they have done.”

Jesus was the only sinless man who ever lived. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). In spite of this, HE WAS THE VICTIM OF THE GREATEST HUMAN INJUSTICE IN HISTORY. He was betrayed by one of His 12 disciples. He was falsely accused. He was wrongly tried. Jesus was cruelly sentenced to die by crucifixion by Pontius Pilate, who knew He was innocent. He was sentenced to die while Barabbas, a murdering insurrectionist, was set free. One can look at Jesus’ death on the cross and conclude that this was the worst case of human justice of all times. It was an evil act at the hands of evil men.

On the other hand, the crucifixion of Jesus was THE GREATEST ACT OF DIVINE JUSTICE EVER! Jesus was not just a victim of unjust men when He hung on the cross. He died willingly. Jesus’ death was a part of God’s plan. Man had sinned and therefore, was separated from God. The wages of that sin was death (Romans 6:23). For God’s justice to be satisfied, someone had to die. It had to be someone who was not a sinner who could pay the satisfactory price.

The death of Jesus was not an unnecessary tragedy. It was a glorious victory! It was the greatest sacrifice ever made. It was an immeasurable act of love. Ultimately, the act of divine justice overshadows the heinous act of human injustice. It does not lessen the evil done to Jesus. It emphasizes the sacrificial, amazing love of God in providing a way of reconciliation between the Creator and His created!

What is our appropriate response? Receive His love for you! Give His love to others in your world!

Jesus’ death and resurrection are by far the most important events in human history. They are the focal points of the Christian faith. Because the events are very familiar, we can gloss over the biblical account without letting all the details sink in. On Good Friday, Jesus, the only sinless and most innocent man of all time suffered the most heinous death than anyone else has ever suffered! Today, I asked, “Who really killed Jesus?”

At first glance, we would naturally conclude that the Jewish people killed Jesus. Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” In John 11, we find the plot to kill Jesus was devised in a secret meeting led by Caiphas, the high priest. You could also conclude that the guilt of this crime was shared by the people of Israel as well as they were the ones who shouted, “Crucify Him, crucify him!”

As we look further, we realize it was the Roman government that killed Jesus. After all, it was Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor, who sentenced Jesus to death. The Jewish ruling council did not have authority to put someone to death without the approval of the Roman government. Crucifixion was a Roman method of execution and could only be carried out by Roman authorities. Roman soldiers drove the nails. A Roman spear pierced Jesus’ side. Roman hands were more prominent in Jesus’s death.

As we investigate further, we see that the Bible emphasizes that the death of Jesus was ordained by God. God the Father had His Son killed! “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,…” (Isaiah 53:10a). Revelation 13:8 reminds us that Jesus’ death was planned from the beginning. “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” The fact that God ordained this does not exonerate those who carried out the act of pure evil. Acts 2:23 says, “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” The cross is a powerful example of the sovereignty of God.

Why did God the Father have His Son die such a horrible, excruciating death on the cross? It was to reveal how awful mankind’s sin is and how awesome God’s love is. JESUS DIED TO PAY THE PRICE FOR MY SINS! In a sense, all mankind killed Jesus. If there would be no sin, there would not have been a need for the penalty of death to be paid. Each of us must realize, “I KILLED JESUS!” Jesus, because of His love for me, took my place on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin! He did so lovingly and willingly. He died a physical death so I could receive eternal life!

What is my appropriate response? Jesus died so I could live. I must die to myself so He can live through me. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

People are in anxiety overload right now because of all the current health, financial, and vocational uncertainty. The duration is unknown. The solution is complicated. However, there is one thing that is certain, known, and uncomplicated. That one thing is: GOD CARES FOR YOU! You are more than a Social Security number to God. He knows you and cares, not just about, but for you.

There is a difference between caring about someone and caring for someone. The former emphasizes feelings. The latter has the same feelings but includes actions. God not only has empathetic feelings about you. He is actively working in you and around you. Take a moment to think of the ways God cares for you…

One of the ways God cares about you is with the directive to “cast all your anxiety on him.” “Cast” literally means “to throw upon.” It is not casting in the sense of fishing where you cast out your bait and then reel it back in. How many times do we do that in relation to our anxieties? We give them to God on one day and take them back the next day. God invites us to throw all our cares upon Him and leave them there. In doing so, you can walk away unburdened and filled with peace.

What are your concerns and cares of today? Take time right now to give them to the Lord in prayer. After doing so, thank Him for His love and care for you. Then, go about your day in peace and confidence knowing God will take care of you and yours!

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Jesus made a promise to His disciples in John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

The first thing that comes to my mind is the Holy Spirit is given and not earned. The Holy Spirit is given as an act of God’s grace. We do not deserve and have not earned the gift of the Holy Spirit. God gives us His Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance in Christ.

The second thought that comes to mind is “the Holy Spirit is Christ in me!” Paul calls this supernatural blessing “the hope of glory.” “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). The same Spirit that dwelt in Jesus when He walked on earth, overcame temptation, ministered miraculously, forgave completely, loved unconditionally, and raised Him from the dead lives in me.

The third thought has to do with all that comes with the person of the Holy Spirit; “power, love, and self-discipline.” This is not something we can conjure up or work up from our own natural humanity. These are supernatural or of the Spirit. We are given power; the ability to live righteously and serve supernaturally. We are given the ability to love, accept, and forgive others just as in Christ we were. We are also given self-discipline. Other translations say, “sound mind” or “wise discretion.” In other words, we are given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) so the life that God calls for us to live “makes sense” when, to the unregenerate person, it seems foolish and even ridiculous.

The Holy Spirit brings with Him so much potential. It is up to each of us to realize, receive, and release this potential “energy” in our lives. In this case, even the sky is not the limit!

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10-11).

Mariah Carey’s song, I Want to Know What Love Is, contains these lyrics…“In my life there’s been heartache and pain. I don’t know if I can face it again. Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far. To change this lonely life. I wanna know what love is. I want you to show me. I wanna feel what love is. I know you can show me.”

John gives us the answer of what love really is. God sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins! Paul expands the extent of God’s love in Romans 5:8. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Sin is enmity toward God. Therefore, it can be stated that while we were God’s enemies, God in the fullness of His love, sent His Son to die for us. This is what love really is.

God’s love for us is more than a feeling. It is action. It is a sacrificial act. “God sent His Son” to die. It is a satisfaction act. Jesus died to pay the penalty “for our sins” and thereby satisfying the justice of God. Someone had to die because the wages of sin is death. It is supernatural act. The Creator came to earth to serve and die for His rebellious creation!

It is a forgiving act. Jesus died to become “an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” He did not just cover over our sins with His blood. He takes away our sins!

“Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” God’s love is the platinum standard. I want to encourage you to receive God’s love for you. Realize Jesus’ sacrifice for you. Recognize that you receive a “right standing” before God because of Jesus’ paying your penalty. Each one of us was Jesus’ worst enemy because of our sin and yet He loved us by taking our place on the cross. You can forgive yourself for all the bad choices you have made in your life by Jesus forgives you!

YOU CANNOT GIVE WHAT YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED! RECEIVING GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU ENABLES YOU TO LOVE TO THE EXTENT YOU HAVE RECEIVED GOD’S LOVE FOR YOURSELF! Because God loved you in sending His Son as an atoning sacrifice for your sins, you can love others sacrificially and supernaturally. You can forgive anything because God has forgiven you of everything.

Like Mariah Carey, the world is crying out, “I wanna know what love is. I want you to show me. I wanna feel what love is. I know you can show me.” It is time for the Church to show the world way love really is.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). Normally, destroying someone else’s work would be utterly wrong. However, not in this case. Jesus informs us of the devil’s work in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

The devil’s work is to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants to steal from you the life God uniquely created you to have. He does this by tempting you to choose to sin or go outside the parameters or the law God has set. 1 John 3:3 reminds us that “sin is lawlessness.” In tempting you and deceiving you into thinking that his way or your desires are better than God’s way, he entices you to choose sin. As a result, you are robbed of “life to the fullest” that Jesus has for you.

The devil’s work is to destroy. Sin comes from self-centeredness. Self-centeredness says, “I want to please myself. I know what is best for me.” However, ultimately, self-centeredness leads to sin that destroys relationships. It destroys one’s relationship with God, with oneself, and with others in one’s sphere of living.

Ultimately, the devil wants to kill. He wants people to get so fed up with themselves, with their world, and with their life that they would choose to end their life. Ending one’s life without Christ finalizes one’s eternal destination separated from God for eternity.

Life is not a game. The devil is real and plays for keeps. He, along with his cohorts, are prowling around seeing who they can devour. That is why Paul’s instructs, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:18).

Here is the good news. JESUS CAME AND DEFEATED THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL! The devil comes to steal. Jesus comes to restore in abundance. The devil comes to kill. Jesus comes to give us life – abundant on earth and eternal in Heaven! The devil comes to destroy. Jesus comes to rebuild by regeneration!

The devil is defeated. Oh, there will still be battles to fight and win. However, the victory belongs to Jesus and to us!

“This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:5b-6).

The measuring stick for how one is progressing in their spiritual journey is not based on one’s own feelings or assimilating to the standards of other believers. It is based on, “Am I living as Jesus did?” The standard is simple. The journey is not.

Living as Jesus did does not mean moving to Israel, wearing a robe and sandals, walking everywhere, and not having a place to lay your head. What it does mean is to walk in obedience to the Word and Spirit of God. John states this earlier in the chapter. “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands” (1 John 2:3). It also means to partner with the Holy Spirit in developing the character of Christ and adopting His priorities in your life.

Obedience is not optional. John makes that very clear. “Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person” (1 John 2:4). Excusing, minimizing, ignoring, or rationalizing away sin is not acceptable and is very dangerous. In a sense, we put Jesus back on the cross when we knowingly and willingly sin.

The good news is God has given us His Spirit to do the work of sanctification in our lives. This is not something we can do in our own strength. It is the Holy Spirit who restores and informs our conscience when we are straying from the life of obedience. It is the Holy Spirit, in conjunction with the Word of God, who empowers us to overcome any temptation that confronts us. It is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of Jesus’ priorities. It is the Holy Spirit who cultivates the character of Jesus in us.

HOLY SPIRIT, HAVE YOUR WAY IN MY LIFE TODAY!

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all” (1 John 1:5).

Have you ever been in a condition of pitch black; where you could not see your hand in front of your face? It is definitely an unsettling feeling. The absence of light is pitch black or complete darkness. Likewise, because God is light, the absence of God is darkness.

One of the characteristics of light is it reveals. When you shine a light on an object in the darkness, it reveals the object’s position and traits. Jesus is the light of the world. In Jesus we see the revelation of God the Father. “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God,…” (Hebrews 1:3a).

Another characteristic of light is it directs. When you shine a flashlight ahead of you in the darkness, you discover the best path to take in an environment of many pitfalls. Jesus not only reveals the character of God to us. He also, through his lifestyle and teaching, gives us direction.

His life reveals us the way we are to life in world that lives in line with a darkened understanding. Paul describes this. “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity” (Ephesians 4:17-19).

The absence of light is darkness. Jesus informs us that just as He was the light of the world when He walked on earth so now His followers are His light in a dark world. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16).

In a world of increasing darkness and an increasing pressure to follow its way, we must let the light of Christ shine through us; not to blind people but to reveal the true character of Jesus and His life. It is His life in and through us that brings conviction of sin and the revelation of the need of a Savior. If the light dims so does the conviction of sin. Let the light of Jesus shine through you today!

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,…” (Galatians 3:26).

No matter how old you are, if you are in Christ, you are a child of God. This is a simple, yet powerful truth to believe and keep in the forefront of our minds as it is key to experiencing the kingdom of God in our everyday lives.

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said: “Truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is talking to adults about what it means to enter His kingdom, experience God and to be greatest in that kingdom.

Entering the kingdom of heaven is a decision and a process. It starts with a decision to trust in Jesus as your personal Savior. It continues in the process of submitting to Jesus as your personal Lord. Living according to the truths and principles of the kingdom of God is the way that God created us to live and to experience Him in our everyday lives. It is a way of faith that trumps sight, understanding, feeling, etc.

We are to be child-like, not childish. Childishness is evidence of spiritual immaturity. Child-likeness is an indicator of spiritual maturity. The more mature we become in Christ…the less childish we become and the more childlike we become!  Lordship is connected to child-likeness!

One characteristic that is common of all children. Small children adore their parents. Likewise a child of God should ADORE his/her Heavenly Father. Here are five ways to ADORE your Heavenly Father.

Be emotionally Amazed of Him. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

Be totally Dependent on Him. “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4).

Be completely Obedient to Him. “Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (John 3:10b).

Be genuinely Real with Him. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Be confidently Expectant from Him. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)

Your Heavenly Father desires for you to be child-like today!