Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, it essentially began the Easter celebration for all who believe in the biblical account of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 the Bible makes clear “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Jesus indeed was who He had claimed to be, God in human flesh, who willingly laid down His life for the payment of our sins, and rose from the grave giving proof. The death of Christ was the only way for the Father to forgive sin without compromising His own perfect holy standard. This is the great truth we celebrate during Easter and live out in our lives all year long. It is the truth of God’s redeeming love through Jesus Christ. This plan is explained in Romans 5:8-11: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Many people have a hard time believing these truths. They argue that Jesus was just a good man, or a prophet, and to believe otherwise is taking a big leap of faith. I have to differ with these thoughts because Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection have more evidential support than anyone who lived in His time until now. One of the most significant realities of this truth is in the prophecies foretelling His coming. The Old Testament, written hundreds of years before His arrival provided 60 major prophecies, and approximately 270 ramifications concerning His coming. Jesus fulfilled them all. Yet let’s scale it down a bit, and just take eight of them. The probability for just eight of these prophecies to be fulfilled would be one in 10 to the 17th power. That would be one chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000.
To help us grasp this, the late Dr. Peter W. Stoner, a professor of Mathematics and Astronomy, said that if were to “take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true of any one man.”
Jesus was who He claimed, God in human flesh who came, was crucified, was buried, and rose again for the forgiveness of sins just as the Scriptures said. What do you base your belief upon?
Would you like to know more? Call us at 425-432-0634, or go to www.taylorcreekchurch.org. You can join us live on Sundays via livestream. Worship begins at 10:15 a.m. Log into the TCC website and you will be directed to the livestream.
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