Live Free with Josh Howerton - There is Life and Power in Jesus' Name | Ep. 300 | Friday, March 29, 2024

Episode Date: March 29, 2024

On this Good Friday, listen in and be reminded of what Jesus’ love looks like. The light of the world, the Son of God, was crucified for you and me. He died and was buried, but that was not the end of the story. Death could not hold Him, and He defeated the grave. Take time to praise Him for this life-giving love and consider who you need to share it with today. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.com. Church slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the Daily Drive on this Good Friday. We've been walking through the Gospel of John since January 1st, and we have seen Jesus do amazing things, say incredible things, and along the way we have highlighted events, and we have highlighted phrases, we've circled words, we've made some comments and some application. But today, I just want to simply read what John wrote down. And I pray today that God's word would wash over you and fill you with hope and gratitude. and that you would see how deeply loved you really are. I'm going to pick it up in chapter 19 with no chapter breaks.

John writes, So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called the Place of the Skull in Hebrew Galgotha. There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read,

Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. Then the leading priest objected and said to Pilate, change it, from the king of the Jews to he said, I am the king of the Jews. Pilate replied, no, what I've written, I've written. When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven from one piece from top to bottom, so they said, rather than tearing it apart, let's throw dice for it. This fulfilled the scripture that says,

They divided my garments among themselves, and threw dice from my clothing. So that is what they did. Standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, and his mother's sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, Dear Woman, Here is your son. And he said to this disciple, here's your mother.

And from then on, this disciple took her into his home. Jesus knew that his mission was now finished. And to fulfill scripture, he said, I'm thirsty. A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, it is finished. Then he bowed his head and gave him. up his spirit. It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn't want the bodies hanging

there the next day, which was the Sabbath, and a very special Sabbath because it was Passover week. So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus, but when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs. one of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe. These things happen in fulfillment of the scriptures that say,

not one of his bones will be broken, and they will look on the one day pierced. Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus because he feared the Jewish leaders, asked Pilot for permission to take down Jesus' body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away, and with him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about 75 pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes, following Jewish burial custom they wrapped Jesus' body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth.

The place of crucifixion was near a garden where there was a new tomb never used before, and so because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover, and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, they had taken the Lord's body out of the tomb,

and we don't know where they put him. Peter and the other disciples started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped in and looked in and saw all the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived, and he went inside, also noticing the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed. For until then they had not understood the scriptures that Jesus must rise from the dead.

Then they went home. Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. Dear woman, why are you crying? The angels ask her. Because they've taken away my lord, she replied. I don't know where they put him. She turned to leave, and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. "'Dear woman, why are you crying?' Jesus asked her.

"'Who are you looking for?' "'She thought he was the gardener, sir,' she said. "'If you have taken him away, please tell me where you've put him, and I will go and get him.' "'Mary,' Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, Rabonai, which is Hebrew for teacher. "'Don't cling to me,' Jesus said. "'For I haven't yet ascended to the father, but go, find my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my father and your father to my God and your God.

Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, I have seen the Lord, and she gave him his message. That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them. Peace be with you, he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord.

Again he said, peace, be with you. As the Father is sent me, so I am sending you, that he breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, was night with the others when Jesus came. They told him, we have seen the Lord, but he replied, I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, and put my fingers into them and placed my hand into the wound in his side. Eight days later, the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but suddenly, as before, Jesus, was standing among them.

Peace be with you, he said. Then he said to Thomas, put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe. My Lord and my God, Tom. comments exclaimed, then Jesus told him, you believe because you've seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs, in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe

that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name. I pray that you would believe and you would experience on this day the life he came to give. Love y'all. Have a great Easter. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. For more information, visit lakepoint.church slash daily drive.