torn

God’s sovereignty is not outwardly spectacular at Jesus’ burial, but He is working in and through the details and circumstances of ordinary people, often over long periods of time, to accomplish His will. The religious leaders cared more about appearances, but Joseph and Nicodemus cared more about the Savior. They saw Him for whom He was and believed, even when it wasn’t popular with people in their “circle”. They risked their very way of life to identify with Jesus. Is that how you follow Jesus? Are you willing to give up family, friends, careers, luxuries, comforts to follow Him? Or are you content to watch from the sidelines, occasionally dipping your toes in the water of “church-life” while remaining dead on the inside? Pride will keep you from Jesus. We serve a sovereign God who orchestrates all the details and circumstances of many lives – including those of His enemies – to achieve His will. Even when you don’t understand the things you or those you love may be going through, you can rest with certainty that God knows what He is doing and that He will work it out in both His and our best interest, for the praise of His glory.

God’s sovereignty is not outwardly spectacular at Jesus’ burial, but He is working in and through the details and circumstances of ordinary people, often over long periods of time, to accomplish His will. The religious leaders cared more about appearances, but Joseph and Nicodemus cared more about the Savior. They saw Him for whom He was and believed, even when it wasn’t popular with people in their “circle”. They risked their very way of life to identify with Jesus. Is that how you follow Jesus? Are you willing to give up family, friends, careers, luxuries, comforts to follow Him? Or are you content to watch from the sidelines, occasionally dipping your toes in the water of “church-life” while remaining dead on the inside? Pride will keep you from Jesus. We serve a sovereign God who orchestrates all the details and circumstances of many lives – including those of His enemies – to achieve His will. Even when you don’t understand the things you or those you love may be going through, you can rest with certainty that God knows what He is doing and that He will work it out in both His and our best interest, for the praise of His glory.

Jesus willingly endured the suffering and went to the cross because of His love for the Father and His love for all those who would believe on His name. The death of Jesus was a monumental event not just in the timeline of redemptive history, but in its physical effect on the earth itself. How could the physical world NOT be affected by the death of its Creator? When Jesus’ body was torn on the cross, the curtain was torn in the temple. When His body was broken on the cross, the rocks were broken in the ground. The grave that held dead people in and the one who held the power of death itself (the Devil) would very soon have a new Master! When Jesus died, He killed death. The curtain was a constant reminder that sin makes us unfit for the presence of God. "Because of our sin, you can’t come in." But it was God who tore the curtain. So what does this mean? It's God who initiates a relationship with us (Eph 1). Christian: you have hope of new life in Christ because Jesus killed death. Your very life is a testimony to and a part of God’s redemptive story. Trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross, not your own effort.

Jesus willingly endured the suffering and went to the cross because of His love for the Father and His love for all those who would believe on His name. The death of Jesus was a monumental event not just in the timeline of redemptive history, but in its physical effect on the earth itself. How could the physical world NOT be affected by the death of its Creator? When Jesus’ body was torn on the cross, the curtain was torn in the temple. When His body was broken on the cross, the rocks were broken in the ground. The grave that held dead people in and the one who held the power of death itself (the Devil) would very soon have a new Master! When Jesus died, He killed death. The curtain was a constant reminder that sin makes us unfit for the presence of God. "Because of our sin, you can’t come in." But it was God who tore the curtain. So what does this mean? It's God who initiates a relationship with us (Eph 1). Christian: you have hope of new life in Christ because Jesus killed death. Your very life is a testimony to and a part of God’s redemptive story. Trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross, not your own effort.

The veil of the temple being torn in two from top to bottom as Christ breathed His last breath was no just happenstance. God designed it to send a very powerful message. It was representative of much more than the obvious exposure of the Holy of Holies for all to see. The death of Jesus on the cross and the subsequent renting of this curtain truly ushered in a new covenant, but more than that, it challenged the very fabric and foundation of the Mosaic Law of Judaism and of Jewish religious tradition. The ripple effect from that one event is still being experienced to this very day.

When Jesus died at the Cross, He saved sinners from death, and gave life abundantly to all who would believe in Him. His salvation is final, and the sanctification is ours for life... the finality is urgent and life-giving, are you in?

Pastor reads from Hebrews 10:19-25. Scripture References: Revelation 4, Matthew 27:47-52, Jeremiah 17:9

This week on Why Am I Laughing, Ben and RJ talk about Dodgeball, the ridiculous sports comedy that rivals the World Cup, World Series, and World War II combined! So dodge some wrenches, head to Vegas, and get ready to win $50,000; this podcast is now airing on ESPN 8 “The Ocho”.1:49 - Films: Ben Stiller and Workaholics gang working on “Eggplant Emoji”.4:30 - Television: Amy Poehler creating sitcom starring Carol Burnett.8:40 - Dodgeball (A Brief History)11:57 - Why is Dodgeball Funny?37:45 - Ben’s Wacky Facts44:20 - #WAILMAILoftheWeekWant us to read your email on next week's show?Send your words to whyamIlaughingpod@gmail.comYou can always find our podcast on: iTunes Podcast app : goo.gl/p8BOlU Google Play : goo.gl/rsldp9 Stitcher : goo.gl/mtIGvk TuneInRadio: goo.gl/XkpKdr Twitter: @WAILPod https://twitter.com/WAILPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whyamilaughing/ PodTyrant: www.podtyrant.com “Frat Pack” Wikipedia Page:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frat_Pack

In war-torn Afghanistan, a girl walks right into a hail of bullets: Elinor watches it with her own eyes. The young British army medic risks the line of fire to rescue her, only to realize the girl is gone. To find the missing, mysterious child, Elinor enlists the help of an American Navy SEAL. But in all the confusion, with coalition troops fighting every day to maintain a fragile peace, does Ben have something to hide? Elinor came to Afghanistan with the hope of changing hearts and minds: What she's about to discover will make her question everything she ever believed about love and war. A war thriller and a cross-cultural love story with an undercurrent of magic realism, this is a powerful debut set in modern-day, battle-scarred Afghanistan.

Listen as bestselling author of paranormal romance and young adult fiction Amanda Hocking discusses Wake, the first in the Watersong series of novels, and answers questions from the audience at the Apple Store, SoHo.

Listen as bestselling author of paranormal romance and young adult fiction Amanda Hocking discusses Wake, the first in the Watersong series of novels, and answers questions from the audience at the Apple Store, SoHo.

This episode we wanna push you around! Actually, we try to name 5 song titles that could be used to describe a recent bowel movement. You will not be surprised that this is easy for some of us. Warren has a list of 40, and he's even categorized his responses: see if you can name 5 of his categories instead of songs, because otherwise this is too easy. On topic, shouldn't the verb to "soil oneself" or "soil something" only be used if you've been eating dirt? No? I seem to be in the minority on this one. Also, why does the urban dictionary specify the cause of an incident? Seems to be superfluous in the context of providing definitions, no matter how many up-votes there are. If your name is Jarome and you write for the urban dictionary, contact us by email (maskedman@limitedappeal.net) to explain yourself. Theme music courtesy of General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners and Ipecac Recordings.