Jesus – Page 2 – Karen Gamble Writes

Did Judas Go to Heaven?

One question I’ve seen asked a lot is whether Judas Iscariot went to heaven.

Some say there is no way he could have since he betrayed Jesus.

Others assume he did because the Bible says he regretted what he’d done.

Let’s look at these a little further.

First of all, yes Judas did betray Jesus.

But, at the same time, so did Peter when he denied Christ 3 times before the cock crowed. (Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75 NIV)

If I am real honest with myself, there are times I betray Jesus, too.

No, I don’t do anything “big” like sending people to kill Him.

But…

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Judas Iscariot

One of the people involved in Christ’s crucifixion was Judas Iscariot.

Judas was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus.

He traveled with Jesus.

He had first-hand experiences and in-person visits with Him.

Unfortunately, Judas didn’t see things from the same point of view as Jesus did.

Part of Judas’ responsibility was to look after the money bag.

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He Who Began A Perfect Work…

When my kids were young I taught them about Jesus as best as I could.

All 3 got saved and baptized at a fairly young age.

As they got older and started going out on their own and were exposed to the world a bit – school, friends’ houses, the mall, the movies, etc. – then later college – they began to witness and experience bad things..

Things people typically witness or experience in a broken world.

Painful things.

Before long they struggled with their faith as society bombarded them with all sorts of lies that downplayed God and emphasized self.

Lies that characterized God in false, disrespectful ways.

They weren’t always obvious.

Category: Faith, God, Jesus, Submission, Trust | LEAVE A COMMENT

It’s Easter Sunday!

Today is Easter, the day we celebrate Christ’s triumphant rise from the grave.

It’s the day we remember how He beat death and hell as He paid for our sins so we can be reconciled to God.

Today – let us rejoice as we celebrate that Christ is risen indeed!

³For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV

To learn more about Easter read my post, What is Easter?.

To learn more about the Easter Season, please visit my Easter page, a compilation of previous Easter and Lent posts.

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It’s Good Friday

Today is the day we remember Jesus’ crucifixion and the sacrifice He made for us when He died to pay for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God.

⁶You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! ¹⁰For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! –Romans 5:6-10 NIV

If you have not yet trusted Jesus for your salvation, I urge you to take time today to talk to God about your situation.

If you have trusted Him, I encourage you to take time today to reflect on this gift and what it truly means for you.

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:16-17 NIV

For a more complete explanation of Good Friday, please see my post, What Is Good Friday?

You might also like to read my post, What is Holy Week? which gives a more in-depth explanation of why this week is so important.

To learn more about the Easter Season, please visit my Easter page, a compilation of previous Easter and Lent posts.

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It’s Palm Sunday!

Today is Palm Sunday!

It’s the day we remember and celebrate Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem.

Humbly riding a donkey, He declared Himself King of Israel, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy which stated:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 NIV

He did this not for His own glory, but so that we would all know Who He is in the hopes that we would be reconciled to God and saved from sin.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem the people expressed their adoration, praise, and joy by crying, “Hosanna!”

We should join them in celebrating and declaring:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke-19-38 NIV

Today also marks the beginning of Holy Week as we remember Jesus and the tribulations He suffered as He became our Living Sacrifice.

I hope you will take time this week to prayerfully reflect on Christ and what He did for you..

I invite you to read an in-depth explanation of Palm Sunday by reading my post, What is Palm Sunday?

You might also like to read my post, What is Holy Week? which gives a more in-depth explanation of why this week is so important.

You can read the complete story of Palm Sunday by visiting Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-16, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19.

To learn more about the Easter Season, please visit my Easter page, a compilation of previous Easter and Lent posts.

Category: Death, Holiday, Jesus, Scripture Study | LEAVE A COMMENT

What Is Easter?

Easter, also called Resurrection Sunday, is the day we celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead, gaining victory over sin, death, and the grave.

Jesus had been killed by crucifixion on a Friday.

Early on the following Sunday morning some women who had been Jesus’ followers, came to His tomb with prepared spices.

They were planning to properly anoint His body for burial.

They’d been unable to do it right after the crucifixion because the Sabbath started at dusk Friday and lasted until dusk Saturday.

During this time they were not allowed to do any work due to Jewish law.

When the women got to the tomb the stone blocking the entrance had been rolled away.

Jesus’ body was not there.

The tomb was empty except for the linens Jesus’ body had been wrapped in when placed there late Friday afternoon..

There was an angel there at the tomb.

The angel spoke to them:

Category: Death, God, Holiday, Jesus, Life | LEAVE A COMMENT

What Is Good Friday?

Good Friday is the day we remember Jesus and His death on a cross.

Crucifixion was a common way to execute people during the time of the Roman Empire.

It was a very slow and painful way to die, sometimes taking several days.

The person being executed typically died due to exhaustion and asphyxiation.

The night before Jesus died He’d been arrested and taken before the Jewish high priest and elders.

After questioning Him at length, they decided Jesus should die for the sin of blasphemy* because He said He was the Christ, the Son of God.

They took Him to the Roman Governor, Pilate, and asked that he execute Jesus for them – Jewish leaders were not permitted to execute anyone themselves.

Pilate questioned Jesus at length but couldn’t find Him guilty of anything.

When Pilate returned Him to the leaders and elders, stating there was no basis for execution, the leaders told Pilate that Jesus had claimed to be a king and was therefore an enemy of Caesar.

When Pilate asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews, Jesus said yes.

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Jesus Was Arrested

Jesus was arrested the day before He was crucified.

(This day is sometimes called Holy or Maundy Thursday.)

The Jewish elders and chief priests hated Jesus so they wanted to arrest and kill Him.

They were scheming together to think of a way to capture Him.

They were a little hesitant to do it openly because they knew how popular He was; they didn’t want to stir up an angry crowd, and they didn’t want the crowd to turn against them.*

A man named Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ disciples.

He knew that the Jewish elders and chief priests were very upset with Jesus and looking for a way to get rid of Him.

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What Is Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday is the holiday we celebrate the Sunday before Easter.

It is the day we remember and celebrate when Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Here’s what happened:

When Jesus and His disciples were traveling toward Jerusalem they stopped at a nearby village.

Jesus sent two of His disciples to the village to locate and bring back a young donkey that was tied up but had never been ridden.

He told them if anyone asked what they were doing to tell them it was for Him and that He would send it back shortly. (Mark 11:1-3 NIV)

When they went into the village they found the donkey there, just like He’d said.

Someone did ask about it and the disciples did tell them why they were taking it. They were then allowed to leave with it.

The disciples brought the donkey to Jesus and laid their cloaks on it for Him to sit on.

Jesus rode the donkey into the town of Jerusalem.

As He did so, the crowds that were with Jesus when He arrived as well as many of the people in the town laid their cloaks or palm and tree branches down on the ground in front of Him.

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