Good Friday

Mark 15

Jesus Before Pilate

1Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
3The chief priests accused him of many things. 4So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."
5But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13"Crucify him!" they shouted.
14"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

16The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 19Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!"
31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

33At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

The Burial of Jesus

42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he

was laid.

RC Hammer

Love and Obey

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I (Moses) give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.

Deuteronomy 28:1

Many Christians complain to GOD that things aren't going well for them. They think that GOD doesn't want to help them or something. There are a few reasons GOD might not be answering them:

1. They don't have enough faith and they won't keep asking GOD

2. GOD will answer their prayers when the time is right or

3. The person praying to GOD is not keeping all of GOD's commands.

Today, I am going to discuss the third one. You cannot say that you love GOD and that you're a Christian to someone and then go off and sin. If you did that, you wouldn't have true love for GOD. Being a Christian is about your relationship with GOD; You don't become one just so you don't go to hell when your time is up. No. You become a Christian because you love GOD. You can't have a true relationship with GOD if you disobey HIM without even trying to stop. Your relationship with GOD is just like a relationship with someone else. You have to be kind and nice to your friends (someone you have a relationship with) if you want them to stay friends wit you. It's the exact same thing with GOD.

Of course, it is very difficult to not sin at all. We are all humans: We're going to sin sometimes. But we have to try our best not to sin. If we try to stay obedient to GOD, HE promises us many blessing, like it says in the verse above. However, later in the Bible, it warns us what will happen if we are disobedient to GOD and do nothing about stopping our sin. The Bible says:

However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I (Moses) am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:... (It goes on to names some curses).

Deuteronomy 28:15

If we don't even try to stop disobeying GOD, not only will HE not bless us, HE'll curse us. We have to express our love for GOD by keeping HIS commands. HE will bless us and make us stronger Christians. Our relationship with GOD will be a lot stronger and we will be that much closer to the kingdom of heaven.

"I highly suggest that you read all of Deuteronomy 28. I had to cut out a lot of the interesting parts to make the post more understandable. I hope it is understandable. I'm feeling pretty tired tonight, so forgive me if my grammar is a little messed up."

GOD bless you all.

Peace be with you too!

Your servant,

RC Hammer

Ecclesiastes 11

Ecclesiastes 11:7-10

Remember Your Creator While Young

7 Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
8 However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all.But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.

As you probably have noticed, I have been reading a lot from Ecclesiastes today.

RC Hammer

Ecclesiastes 3

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

........

RC Hammer

A Giver

GOD has made everything for us,

HE blesses us with everything,

and since HE gave HIS life on the cross we can have eternal life.

HE truly loves us and we can't stop disobeing HIM.

HE gives us more then we deserve.

Your servant,

RC Hammer

It's Palm Sunday!

Mark 11:1-11

The Triumphal Entry

1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.' "

4They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

"Hosanna!"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

10"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"

"Hosanna in the highest!"

11Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Soon, HE will be forsaken, and us forgiven.

Your servant,

RC Hammer

Your Invincible, But You Can't Do It?

It's always funny (or sad) to hear Christians say that they can't do something. Aren't they suppose to be the Spirit filled child of GOD, who can do all things through HIM? Why do Christians moan and groan when they don't think they can do something? I mean, GOD created everything, gave life to everything, and can do anything HE wants to for you or Himself. HE's invincible and unstoppable, but still Christians doubt HIM. The Bible says:

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

GOD is all-powerful, and through HIM you can do all things. Why doubt GOD by doubting yourself? GOD even showed us how powerful HE is by raising JESUS from the dead. We can do anything and everything through HIM. We don't have to worry about those 'impossible' challenges in our lives, because if we truly love and believe in GOD, HE will provide.

A step in making your relationship with GOD stronger is to wipe out everything in your mind that says you can't do something. You need to concentrate on GOD's never-ending abilities and trust that HE will provide for you. Trust that you can do all things through HIM.

GOD bless you all.

Peace be with you during this Easter season.

Your servant,

RC Hammer

(.P.S. I might be on vacation while this post is... posted, so you might want to entertain yourself by either trying to read all of my posts or by messing with the polls on my sidebar or anything else over there. Also, comments are greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.)

Reckless Words...

Many people make others feel bad without even knowing (some do know, I guess). People most of the time don't mean to hurt other people's feelings, but they do with whatever rude comment they say. Then the person (who was insulted) feels really bad. It is typical for them to get angry and take it out on someone else. Then they hurt that person's feeling and it keeps on going in a pattern that was started by the original person, who started the insults. That is a sin that causes many more to sin... and that's bad. The Bible says:

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 12:18

It is true that insults leave an effect on people that kind of feel like a sword, in your soul. People have to start watching what they say. When people get used to speaking recklessly, they become foolish and cause many people to sin. The slightest word could make someone have anger and hatred that was never there before. For example; Once, when I was playing basketball with some friends, one of them (my friend) tried to catch a pass from his teammate. He missed it, and the person who passed it to him said that if he was going to get a pass, he should catch it. I know it wasn't much of an insult, but it basically ruined the person who tried to catch its whole day. I don't even think the guy who insulted him was trying to be mean. But he was foolish.

The verse above says that the tongue of the wise brings healing. The healing is compliments to the person who was insulted.Now pay attention to this.Wouldn't you agree that the wise speak the word of the LORD? The Bible later says that:

...The word of the LORD is sharper than any double-edged sword...

Hebrews 4:12

The word of the LORD (compliments) is stronger than any reckless, double-edged sword. Don't you see? When you say aggressive and mean things to people, you cut them deep down. But when you compliment people and bless them with the word of GOD, you heal them and give them strength to live on. How can you even begin to be nice to the people you love if you are mean to others? Your love would be incomplete. But GOD is nice and loves everyone (even those who hate HIM), completely. If you want to be a follower of GOD, then you must watch what you say and be kind to all people.

I know, this post is extremely long , but it is also extremely powerful. If you are just skipping through my blog and decided not to read this because of the length, I encourage you to change your mind. Please read this post!

GOD bless you all.

Peace be with you.

Your servant,

RC Hammer