A Sacrifice Was Made #296

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

These two verses possibly contain the most important word in the entire New Testament. In the English language it is three words, but in the Greek language it is only one. The Greek word Tetelestai means; it is finished.

Jesus had been hanging on the cross for almost six hours. His body was already beaten, bleeding, racked with pain and

death was near. Dehydration was causing Him to be extremely thirsty. He spoke from the cross the words, “I am thirsty.” Sour wine was placed on a sponge and placed on a long pole. The pole gave the men at the bottom of the cross the ability to reach the mouth of Jesus. He tasted the sour wine and then refused it.

His next word was Tetelestai.  “It is finished.” The word was to the people watching a word of defeat, but instead it was a great word of victory. What Jesus said was not, “I am finished.” It was not “I am dead.” The word from Jesus meant, “IT WAS FINISHED.” It was the third person singular perfect tense. It referred to the completed work that Jesus had come to earth to accomplish. He knew that all things had already been accomplished to fulfill the Scripture He gave up His spirit. He died, but IT WAS FINISHED. The death of Jesus procured salvation for all mankind. His death was for the sins of all people. The sacrifice and substitutionary death of Jesus meant that anyone who believes would be forgiven and given eternal life.

IT IS FINISHED meant that a sacrifice had been once and for all completed. No longer was another sacrifice needed. God sent His Son as the substitute for every sinner. 2 Cor 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

(NAS) He died for you. No other sacrifice is needed. “IT IS FINISHED.”

_________________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Hope you had a wonderful Easter. Mine was interesting for this reason. I was about half way through my sermon when the fire alarms went off. They were loud and of course we had to exit the building. We stood out on the sidewalk as we watched the fire truck enter the parking lot. We were outside about 15 minutes when the all clear was sounded. We re-entered the building and I picked up where I had left off. The congregation didn't know, but I had an extra long sermon. By breaking it into two parts no one noticed. God works in mysterious ways. It made for an interesting service. Someone told me I was really "on fire."

Sandy and I had  our children and grandsons over for lunch. We also had our friends the Symingtons. After a great meal we ended the day with the Easter Egg hunt for the kids. Justin found another use for his Easter Basket. As soon as everyone left I took a LONG NAP.

One of my fun things to do in retirement is to chaperone school groups. This week I will go with the band at Collin's school for an all morning event. It is fun to be with the kids and teachers; and also listen to some great middle school bands. Collin plays the trumpet and  also percussion. He played the drums for our Sunday worship service a week ago. He had never done that before. Needless to say he was a little nervous, but did a great job. Looks like he may start playing two weeks out of the month. 

I will continue to preach most Sundays until August. This coming Sunday I will be preaching in the LOFT at First Baptist Church of Tempe at 9:30 AM. We are almost done with the Book of Revelation. You can hear or read the sermons on line at: http://fbctempe.sermons.io/speakers/dennis-wood

Many of you have been telling me you have enjoyed the sermons. Thanks for taking time to listen. 

Sandy has finished teaching for this Spring. Her class on Esther ended on Tuesday. She has so enjoyed her Young Moms. She loves them so much and enjoys teaching the Bible to them. Her teaching is so practical. 

Burke and Bennett are both in their school musical for the next two Friday and Saturday nights. The musical is "The Sound of Music." As an upper class man and a very talented young man Bennett has one of the leads. It should be great. 

As always I appreciate your prayers for my health. I have so many ups and downs. I do not know when I get up in the morning if the day is going to be good or if the cancer causes me to feel poorly. Two weeks ago I mentioned what a great week I had. This past week was not so good; a return of pain and fatigue.  I also received some reports from labs that measure the cancer itself. They are called cancer markers. All are highly elevated. In some cases two to four times normal. There is a new chemotherapy that is having good results on my type of cancer. I am currently applying for upcoming trials of the drug. Please pray that I can get into this trial study. The FDA has just approved it. There is only one doctor and one hospital in the Phoenix area doing this treatment; and only 4 or 5 in the entire country. I would really appreciate your prayers. 

I am so blessed to continue most of my activities; just not a quickly, or as much as in the past.

Blessings or all of you. I pray God will give you spiritual illumination of His Word as you read and study the Bible. I pray the Holy Spirit will give you spiritual insight into His work in your life. 

Love you all.  ~ DGW

No More, No More! #294

Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Probably no passage of scripture is any more concise than these first four verses of Romans 8 in describing the Gospel. Key words associated with the Gospel stand out in these scriptures.

First is the phrase, “Now no condemnation.” To be condemned means to be guilty, accountable, responsible and judged. The Bible declares the great truth of the Gospel that in Christ there is “NO CONDEMNTION.” That means that you are no longer guilty, no longer accountable, no longer judged or condemned, but the truth is that in Christ you have been set free. Other scriptures tell us we are free from all things. Here the specific freedom deals with the demands of the Law of Moses. The Spirit of Christ has set you free from the law of sin and death brought about by the demands of the Law of Moses.

How was that possible? It became reality when God sent Jesus, His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as an offering for sin. Jesus paid for our sin nature on the cross. He condemned sin in the flesh, His own flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law of Moses would be fulfilled. No one ever was able to do that except Jesus.

Your walk is no longer a walk of condemnation for sins and your sin nature but a walk in the Spirit of God. God’s Holy Spirit within makes it possible for the requirements of the Law of Moses to be fulfilled in you by the Christ who is in you.   
 ___________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Often I have encouraged people to use the Spiritual Gifts that God has given them in service to the Lord and His Church and to a world of needful people. I believe when you do you receive great joy. The root word for both gift and grace is CHARA which is the Greek word for joy. When by God's grace you express your gift you receive joy. I was the recipient of such JOY this past Sunday. I got out of the hospital at noon on Saturday. My Jewish Doctor said as he dismissed me, "You can now preach at your church tomorrow." Nothing could have pleased me more. I did preach on Sunday. Joy flooded my soul as I shared the passage in Revelation 19:11-17. (listen to it on the Web at   http://fbctempe.sermons.io/speakers/dennis-wood

Joy is a great thing. It is a fruit of God's Spirit. 

Sandy and I are anticipating more guests in the next few weeks. Her brother's daughter, Meredith and husband, Brandon are coming to spend a few days. We so look forward to their visit. Also Don and Tommie Tuttleton are coming our way. It will be their first long distance RV experience. They are the couple who spent a month with us during my critical health issues in 2009. They are special folks. Sandy decided the guest bathroom needed a remodel. So out came the paint rollers. I was too sick to help much so she enlisted Burke who was on Spring Break to help. They had a Grammie and Grandson bonding time, while getting covered with paint. I must say they did a great job. 

We are planning for some camping with the family this summer. Arizona is a great place to visit in the winter, but a great place to leave in the summer. At least escaping to northern AZ is a good idea. 

Our grandson, Bennett, will be singing Saturday afternoon with the ALL STATE CHORUS at Gammage Auditorium on the campus of Arizona State University. He is a gifted vocalist. Of course it is true even if I am a bit prejudiced. 

Sandy continues to teach her Young Mom's Bible Study on the Book of Esther. We are both getting acquainted with not only the young moms but their husbands and children. What a JOY.

Every week I look forward to preaching in the INTERSECT SERVICE in the LOFT at First Baptist Church. The congregation is growing and is very responsive. Each week we have guests. We will continue in the Book of Revelation for another month or so. 

It has been a rich study. It has been a personal challenge for me. 

I do hope you are doing well. I so appreciate your prayers and concerns. Thanks for the emails. I am praying that you will have JOY!!  Blessings.  ~ DGW

Who Is This Man? #295

Acts 17:30-34                                                                      30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” 33 So Paul went out of their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

The setting is Mars Hill in Athens Greece. The speaker is the Apostle Paul; the man named Saul who was converted to Christ on the road to Damascus, Syria. The audience was a very religious group of people of all persuasions who prided themselves on their intellectual approach to all of life, especially their religious beliefs. As Paul walks around Mars Hill he find shrines and centers of worship to gods of all varieties. In the midst he finds an inscription that addresses: “The Unknown God.” The Apostle uses that phrase to tell them about the true God. This unknown God he declares brings about life and being.

From the beginning of his discourse he lets them know that the true God is declaring to everyone everywhere of the need to repent. He tells them that this God demands repentance because He is going to judge the world in righteousness; that righteousness based on the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ.

This Man, Jesus, proved He could be the judge because He arose from the dead. This declaration of the resurrected Jesus is not only sneered at by the crowd but outright rejected by most. Because of their willingness to at least listen they tell Paul they will talk about this later. Some believe in the message of the resurrected Savior, others do not.

The resurrection is the proof of the deity of Jesus and His saving power. It is still true today. Do you believe in the living Christ? He arose from the dead to give you life.

____________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Happy Easter!! How grateful I am that Jesus is alive. He arose from the grave to conquer death, hell, and to give us life. This Holy Week we remember His death on the cross and an empty tomb. Both are reason to rejoice. 

Sandy and I celebrated her birthday last Friday. Sandy enjoys birdwatching so we headed to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum for several hours of gazing at our feathered friends. We ventured from there over to Globe, AZ to eat lunch and do some antique shopping. I purchased three beautiful necklaces for her gift at one of the shops in Superior. 

We documented the trip with photos. The first picture was taken September 4, 2006 while I was on Chemotherapy. The second picture was taken on Friday April 11, 22014 on Sandy's birthday. They were taken at the same spot at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. 

We got home in time for John, Mandy, Johnny and Justin to take us out to dinner. In all it was a great day.

Saturday afternoon and evening we attended the Arizona All State orchestra, band and choral concerts. Our grandson, Bennett, sang in the 200 voice All State Choir. Of course he was marvelous. 

This past week has been the best week for my health in almost 3 months. It is good to feel good. I only had a couple of times that the pain returned, but it was short lived. I find that eating causes most of my issues. French Fries are not good!!

I pray you have a Blessed Easter and join with other believers in worshiping the Lord Jesus. 

I also pray that God blesses you this week with HIS LIFE IN YOU!!

Praise the Lord for answered prayer.  ~ DGW

I Am His #293

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Who are you? What is your name? What does your name mean? What is God’s name for you? God has many special names for you as a believer in Jesus Christ. The Bible contains a letter written to a church with a lot of serious problems. They were divided over which leader was the best. They were suing one another in pagan courts. They got drunk at the Lord’s Supper. And maybe worst of all there was incest within the church.

How would you approach them? The Apostle Paul reminds them of their name; a name given to them by God when they believed. So the Bible calls them sanctified and saints. To be sanctified means they are made holy and set apart for God’s purpose. The Bible says they are recipients of God’s grace. They received all the gifts necessary for ministry.

The Bible eventually says that they will be confirmed to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is God that calls us into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. So who are you? If you are in Christ no matter what is going on in your life God is faithful to you. You are His and you have received a new name. 

_______________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Resurrection Sunday (Easter) is only a few weeks away. I am already excited about the celebration of not only the Risen Lord, but our Life in Him. Churches across the world will come together to share the Blessed Day of our Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection. Join with some church group to rejoice in your new life.

Sandy's brother, Sammy, was with us over the weekend. It was good to spend time with him. He spent one morning with Justin and Johnny. All three of them had a great time. We celebrated Sandy and my birthday with the whole family on Saturday evening. My birthday was on March 20 and her birthday will be April 11. Hard to get the whole family together so we have learned to join parties together. 

Collin had his big band concert on Tuesday. He played in the Tempe Youth Wind Symphony. It is a band consisting of high school and jr high school students throughout the Tempe school district. They did a superb job. 

Sandy and I are having her "Young Mom's Group" along with their children and husbands to our home for a BBQ on Saturday. She loves these young moms. I am eager to meet all of them and their families. 

I continue to preach at the Intersect Service in the LOFT at the First Baptist Church. I know it is confusing, but the service is just one of the many on Sunday morning at FBC. 

It is a joy for me to share God's Word with this congregation. Some of you have asked, "Where is the LOFT CHURCH?"  There is no LOFT CHURCH. It is just a location in a building, THE LOFT meaning up stairs. Sorta like the Upper Room. 

I continue to request your prayers. I have met with several specialists over the past two weeks and still have more to come. It seems they all want Lab Work; so I get poked a lot. I am still having a lot of pain. The fever returned on Saturday night and has been my companion since. I am writing this from Starbucks with 100.4 fever. Nothing seems to help. Thanks for your prayers and your concern. I try to keep on going. 

My sermons are now on line: http://fbctempe.sermons.io/speakers/dennis-wood

I so love and appreciate you. Thanks for your words of encouragement to me.  ~ DGW