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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy… Ephesians 2:4

Listen: Ephesians 2

TODAY’S MESSAGE

The bad news isn’t just that people sin. It’s actually worse. Paul says because of sin, we deserve God’s wrath (just punishment). We deserve punishment. We deserve the dead spiritual state we are in. That flat-lined spiritual heartbeat? It’s fair. We don’t deserve to be spiritually alive.

The good news is Jesus broke death. He broke it when he took our punishment. Here’s a perfect person saying, “I’ll take it, punish me instead.” He knew what he was getting into, even asking God if there was another way (Matthew 26:36-39). Motivated by his love and mercy, he was tortured, openly humiliated and publicly executed for us.

With his last breath, Jesus says something that should both haunt and inspire us. He states, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Part of the punishment was Jesus’ spiritually alive heart, his connection to God, was flat lined. Jesus died on the cross so we would never have to say his last words. God has not forsaken us. When Jesus died and rose from the grave, he broke death. As Pastor Aaron Buer says in the video clip below, he made us alive so we have a new heart, a new power and a new address.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Thank God for not forsaking us even when we deserved it. Thank Jesus for breaking death, for giving us the chance to go from spiritually dead to alive and for giving us a new heart, a new power and a new address. Thank him for taking the punishment that we could’ve never achieved on our own.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.