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Shaun,

 SB> I really appreciate the personal sermons, Daryl. It is difficult for me
 SB> to go to church, even as the pandemic restrictions begin to relax. And
 SB> it has been a *very* long time since I've heard the Word directly. I
 SB> cannot thank you enough for your time.

  You're more than welcome, sir. :)

  As Christians, brothers and sisters in Christ (can't leave out the ladies 
), we are to uplift and edify each other. Even after we're saved (doing 
the one thing God requires, believing on The One He has sent, in the person 
of His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ), we are still going to have to deal with 
our sin nature until we die, or are raptured. As Gospel artist Amy Grant 
noted years ago, "we still wake up with body odor and bad breath"...and you 
might as well note "the call of nature" as well. And, with my being on Lasix
for congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation, I know that well. 
I am supposed to have cardiac ablation surgery soon, which should resolve
both of those issues.

  Anyway, if one was truly sincere and contrite when we made the decision 
for Christ, ALL of one's sins...past, present, and future, were FORGIVEN.
While Satan keeps trying to dredge those up against us, as far as God is 
concerned, He sees those who've accepted Christ as righteous as He is. As 
Romans 8:1 notes "there is NO CONDEMNATION to those in Christ Jesus"...and 
John 3:18 notes "He that believes on Christ is NOT CONDEMNED". While His 
Grace is a License To Serve, and NOT a License To Sin...as noted, we're 
still going to have that sin nature. Every Christian has one area where 
they're particularly vulnerable...and all of us have one skeleton in our 
closet (some have a whole graveyard full!!).

  The Devil (Satan) is a created being with LIMITED power, but Jesus 
Christ is God Almighty with UNLIMITED power. The one thing Satan and 
his demonic hordes can't cross is The Blood Line...the Precious Blood 
that Jesus Christ shed for all mankind on that old rugged cross nearly 
2000 years ago. Since I'm entering this just before Easter Weekend,
the following commentary may help.

  While Christ was hanging on The Cross to pay for the sins of mankind,
the sign up above his head here in the physical realm on Earth, noted
His "crime" (according to the Pharisees, Saducees, and the Romans), as
"Jesus Of Nazareth, King Of The Jews"...but that was in Truth. 

  The Jewish leaders didn't like or want Jesus, because He exposed their
hypocrisy and other things...and they didn't want Him "muscling in on
their operation". And, the Romans felt that Caesar was their king.
Indeed, when Pontious Pilate said "Behold, Your King!", the crowd
shouted "We have no king but Caesar"...likely prodded by both the
Pharisees and Saducees. Pilate acquitted Jesus 4 times, but 18 Jewish
laws were broken (through numerous illegal trials) to railroad Jesus 
to His Death...even though He had come to Earth to die for the sins 
of mankind.

  Meanwhile, in the spiritual realm, the "crimes" that were noted were 
NONE of Jesus' (He who knew no sin, became sin for us, that we might 
become the righteousness of God in Him)...but the sins that everyone 
who ever lived on Earth, would commit, in thought, word, or deed. It
was because of Him becoming the embodiment of sin, that God The Father
could NOT look upon His Son...so, He turned away, taking the sunlight
from the Earth as He did. Christ was on the Cross for only 6 hours,
but crucifixion (originally devised by the Phonecians, then refined
by the Romans) was originally meant to have the condemned criminals
nude on the cross for several days. That made them even more vulnerable
to the birds and insects...besides the pain, scorn, and humiliation.

  However, the scourging before the crucifixion was so brutal, that 
most died from the beatings. Crucifixion itself is essentially a 
death by suffocation, and likely the most excruciating death one 
could endure. Exhaustion, shock, paralysis, and suffocation finally 
destroy the victim.

  Satan thought he had all mankind in his clutches, but when Jesus 
uttered "Tetelestai!" ("it is finished!"), Satan realized too late 
that "the joke was on him" (he'd been hoodwinked). Those words meant 
that the work Jesus came to do...to shed His Blood and die for the 
sins of everyone...was completed. And, that anyone would put their
faith in Christ alone for their salvation, could go to Heaven. The
resurrection of Christ on what we know as "Easter" (but it's named
after the fertility goddess, Ishtar), was God's Seal Of Approval
on what Christ did on the Cross. 

  Had one sin not been paid for, Christ would still be in the grave, 
His Death would be like any other man, and all of us would be heading 
for Hell and the Lake Of Fire, with Satan and his demons (who hate 
our guts, and want us to burn with them). 

  The one sin God won't forgive is "blasphemy against The Holy Spirit"...
basically rejecting God's Free Love Gift in the person of His Son. By 
that free will and choice, they choose to go to Hell...God doesn't send 
anyone there. The Lord's Will is that NO ONE die in their sin (rejecting 
Christ), but that all should come to repentance. 

  When someone accepts Christ, it's a slap in Satan's face. By the 
same token, all who choose to reject The Lord (there will tragically 
be far more in this category), it's a slap in God's Face (Jesus 
Christ is God In The Flesh).

  Back to the crucifixion, the thief being crucified on Jesus' right 
originally mocked him, as the thief being crucified on Jesus' left did. 
Yet, while the thief on the left kept railing on Jesus, the thief on 
the right had a change of heart, seeing Jesus who He really was. The 
thief on the right told the other one "We're getting what we deserve...
but this man is innocent!!". Then, he said to Jesus "Lord, remember me, 
when you come into your Kingdom". The Lord told him "Truly, I say to 
you; today, you'll be with me in Paradise". A condemned criminal was 
the first one saved. If there was such a thing as a spiritual lottery, 
the thief on Jesus' right "hit the jackpot".

  For those of us who've come to Christ, we know that it should have
been US getting scourged, and then crucified on that Cross, instead 
of Christ. As Romans 5:8 notes, "But God commanded His Love for us, 
in that while we were yet sinners (His enemies), Christ died for us".

Daryl

... What is the sound of one hand clapping??
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