True selected chapters cropped - Flipbook - Page 9
through faith. Jesus Christ took away our sins and sorrows. His death
brings us peace of mind and peace with God.
It is important to say that the blood of Jesus is not first and foremost
for us; it is for God. Today God looks upon the finished work of his
Son and is satisfied that for everyone who repents, receives and
believes, sin has been paid for.
Millions of people through the centuries have discovered this
abundant life and peace with God by responding with faith to the
old message. These disciples and followers of Christ have become
new creations. The new has come and the old has gone and the
world is a different and better place. The church celebrates the day
on which Jesus died as ‘Good Friday’. The only reason that it was a
‘good’ Friday was that three days later Jesus rose from the dead –
on the day we now call ‘Easter Day’.
Jesus Christ’s act of love was willingly to lay down his life for
humanity for all time. We begin our examination of the events that
took place by starting at the Garden of Gethsemane the evening
before he was crucified. Gethsemane was on the lower slopes of the
Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem, one of Jesus’ favourite places.
Overwhelmed with sorrow
Jesus expressed to his dear friends, who had been with him from
the beginning of his teaching ministry, his deep distress and
trouble. His heart was overwhelmed with sorrow, almost to the
point of death. He asked for help from his disciples; he needed
their friendship now more than ever. Jesus fell to the ground. He
could not help it, because he knew the abuse, suffering and evil
that was to come. He prayed to his heavenly Father, asking that, if
possible, God might take the cup of suffering away from him. But
he would rather do God’s will, whatever the cost, and therefore
acknowledged that he would drink the deadly cup (Mark 14:32–
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