The Big Reveal

Now a days you may hear the term "big reveal" and think we may be talking about a gender reveal for a pregnancy, or a marriage proposal, but this message is actually about God's big reveal in the Bible.

On this Good Friday afternoon, we contemplate all that Jesus endured on our behalf. He was falsely accused, mocked, arrested, flogged, had a crown of thorns placed on his head, and He was ultimately crucified. John chapter 18-20 gives us an account of how Jesus' crucifixion took place and how the chief priests and rulers did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God.

Luke 24:20 NIV

"The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him."

John 19:7 NIV

"The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

Can you imagine how they must have felt when they realized Jesus truly was the Son of Man?

John 19:19-22 NIV

"Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

For some people this may seem like the end for Jesus, but we know that is not the case because we believe in the resurrection! Resurrection is defined by when Jesus was raised from the dead, just as it was prophesied in the Old Testament.

Daniel 12:2 NIV

"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt."

Job 19:25-27 NIV

I know that my Redemmer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another, How my heart yearns within me!

John 11:25 NIV

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

1 Corinthians 15:22-22 NIV

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Three days after Jesus was crucified is when we witness God's BIG reveal on Easter morning when His Son Jesus is raised from the dead, He had victory over death! For those who may not be familiar with Easter, it is a Christian festival and holiday that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion.

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 NIV

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.

Luke 24:45-49 NIV

"Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sin will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

My prayer is that we will all take a moment to reflect on Jesus' selfless act of unconditional love and the depth of what He endured on our behalf on this Good Friday and as you celebrate Easter this year, take a moment to confess your faith in Him and thank God for giving us this precious gift of eternal life with Him.

Heavenly Father,

We humbly come before you to thank you for this priceless eternal gift. Father, we are not deserving or worthy of it. We believe that Jesus died for our sins, and He rose again from the grave. Father, we are eternally grateful for you sacrificing your Son on our behalf. Father, I pray this awareness will turn our hearts away from our selfish desires and help us to be obedient to Your Word. Help us to honor you with our lives going forward. In your precious Son's holy name we pray, Amen!

1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Written by: Jill Theriault

Crossroads Coaching - @crossroadscoachingongodstime