HEAL – God’s Heart for Healing in MarkMuestra

Jesus Is Resurrected

One can’t read the resurrection story without first seeing how Jesus suffered on the cross for the sins of all humanity—you, me, everyone. This innocent man took on the sins of the world so that you and I could be forgiven of our sins and reconciled with God. His blood poured out for you and me bridges that gap to God that sin caused. Take a moment to really experience the who, what, why, when and how of the crucifixion before you get to the resurrection part. It’s a moment in time that literally changed history and has eternal consequences. Don’t miss a detail!

Scripture tells us that during the crucifixion, there comes a time of great darkness over the land, and Jesus cries out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus was quoting Psalm 22, a prophecy of his crucifixion, describing His experience and asserting the victory of God over death. He knew this was the fulfillment of God’s plan. At that very moment, Jesus was experiencing the horror of separation from His heavenly father because His father could not look on sin, the sin that Jesus was bearing on our behalf. When we place our faith and trust in Him, we can know that He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. We will never be separated or forsaken by God (Psalm 103:12).

After his death, Jesus’ body was quickly taken and put in a garden tomb as the Sabbath was approaching and they could not leave a dead body outside. Due to the haste of taking His body down, it wasn’t properly prepared, so that’s why on Resurrection Day, the two Marys and Salome were headed to visit the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body with spices. They came to the tomb in obedience to do what was right, wondering about the obstacles that they may face. Did you catch in the account what the women were worried about? They asked each other: “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” Scripture tells us the obstacle was never a barrier for God.

Place yourself in the sandals of the women as they arrived to an empty tomb. The stone had been rolled away. As they entered, an angel sitting there, told them “He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter.”

The angel pointed out “and Peter.” Do you think God knew Peter needed extra encouragement that even in spite of his mistakes of denying Jesus during his arrest, he was still one of them? Do you think we sometimes need a reminder of who we are in Christ, in spite of what we think? Remember, Peter had just betrayed Jesus three times before he was crucified. What a beautiful promise, that nothing in all creation can ever separate us from the love of God revealed to us in Christ (Romans 8:39). The women came to the tomb preparing for death, but ran out of the tomb to share a message with the world: He is alive!

Questions:

1. How does that make you feel to know that Jesus also experienced a separation from God? Does that make you identify with Him more?
2. What does that mean to you that the angel asked the women to tell “the disciples and Peter”? What does that say about God’s compassion and forgiveness?
3. Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross specifically for you and your sins? Have you asked Him to forgive you of your sins? If you haven’t asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life and to forgive your sins, we want to invite you to do that now.

Pray this simple prayer out loud and in your heart:

“Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust you as my Lord and Savior. Please help me to daily surrender to your will. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, please let us know! We’d love to hear from you! We have an amazing prayer team at HealingStrong that prays for each prayer request. Please email us at: prayerrequest@healingstrong.org And thank you so much for joining us in this study. We hope you were encouraged!

This plan was written by Cheryl Collins, a volunteer with HealingStrong, a non-profit organization of community groups designed to help those battling cancer and other diseases to rebuild the body, restore the soul, and refresh the spirit. We’re here to walk with you on any healing journey! Find us online at Healingstrong.org.

Looking for more HealingStrong Bible plans? https://healingstrong.org/bible-plans