Isaiah 53:4-11 NIV
”Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.“
INSIGHT
–The Easter season reminders us of the prophetic fulfillment by prophet Isaiah about Jesus’ death and resurrection. It gives us the foundation of our Christian faith. We believe in Jesus, His death and resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of the death of Jesus for our sins. He was wounded and crushed for the sake of all mankind and by His stripes we are healed. We then praise and glorify God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit for His great love. We glorify God for His everlasting mercy upon us having given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade kept in heaven for us, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this we greatly rejoice, though now for a little while we may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that our faith of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
PRAYER
How great our Your works Oh Lord. How excellent is Your name Lord Jesus in all the heavens and the earth. You are worthy to be praise and glorified. Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest heaven. You are worthy to be exulted and adored for You Jesus loves us with unimaginable love that You sacrificed Your life for our lives. You endured pain and suffering for us, what a wonderful God You are. By Your stripes we are healed, may You heal our hearts, wounds, souls and deliver all those who are sick and suffering. You are our Great God; worthy is Your name. May You guide us this week and transform us to be more like You. You died so that we may die to sin and live for righteousness, may Your grace abound in us dear Lord Jesus. May You grant us favor and grace in everything that we do. We worship You and give You praise. In Jesus name we pray. Amen
Further reading: 1 Peter 2:24
Romans 6:10-14 NIV
” The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. “
INSIGHT
–Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice on the cross and we no longer need the blood of goats and bulls for our atonement. Jesus died once and for all and has liberated us from sin that we may be free indeed because He has set us free. We are therefore no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. For Christ rescued us from the chains of the enemy who leads men astray and his work is to kill, steal and destroy. Christ was therefore sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him (Hebrews 9:28). We are therefore called to be holy because He is Holy and Christlike in all our speech, conduct and every area of our lives.
PRAYER
Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ You are Holy Lord, help us to be holy. You are Righteous Jehovah teach us to be righteous. Lord You became the ultimate sacrifice on the cross and we no longer need the blood of goats and cows for our atonement. You died once and for all and have liberated us from sin dear Lord Jesus that we may be free indeed because You have set us free. We declare that we shall no longer be slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. Our children shall no longer be slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. Our communities, leaders, churches and nation shall not continue in sin but they shall know You loving Savior and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. We are blessed of You dear Lord Jesus, our nation is blessed and we shall prosper in the land. We thank You for the rains and ask for Your favor and productivity. We shall occupy until You come dear Lord Jesus, and no one shall take anything that belongs to us. The doctor’s strikes will end in Your power and grace dear Lord Jesus. We bless Your name and honor You Jesus, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray believing and trusting. Amen
Further reading: 1 Peter 3:18, 2 Timothy 2:22
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 NIV
”When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
INSIGHT
–The death and resurrection of Jesus is a proof that the works of Satan have been destroyed and we have victory in Jesus. The death that originates for sin was swallowed up by the works of Jesus on the cross. Romans 6:23 reminds us that, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“ The mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection gives us life eternal and have sure hope of resurrection. Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). We are then called to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and shun away from sin, for the one who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:8). We declare that the devil has no foothold over our lives, businesses, families, children, churches, communities, nation, and nations of the world for Jesus Christ has obtained victory for us.
PRAYER
O death where is your victory, O death where is your sting. Jesus we adore You and glorify You. We thank You Jesus for You have rescued and delivered us from the curse of eternal death. All our hope and trust is in You dear Lord Jesus. We delight in You for You are always good to us. We proclaim Your righteousness upon all the heaven and the earth. We declare that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Nothing that belongs to us will be taken away. Nothing that has been ordained for us will be lost in Jesus name. We are victorious in Christ Jesus. We are blessed and not cursed in Christ Jesus. We are blessed, our children are blessed, our businesses are blessed, our nation is blessed of the Lord in Christ Jesus. We shall not die but live to declare Your goodness Oh Lord. We worship You Jesus and give You praise, in Jesus name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 109:29, Romans 8:37
John 12:23-28 NKJV
”But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
INSIGHT
-The death and resurrection of Jesus brought glory to God the Father. The baptism of Jesus brought glory to Him as a voice from heaven declared saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17). During the transfiguration Jesus was also glorified, and the same message was proclaimed, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5). When Jesus had finished His work on earth He said, “O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.“ (John 17:5). We should therefore desire to bring glory to God with our praises, lives, thoughts, conduct, work, purposes and everything that concerns us. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36).
PRAYER
Holy, holy, Holy are You the Lord God of hosts; the whole earth is full of Your glory. Lord Jesus You are the same yesterday, today and forever. May You increase our faith and help us to keep it until Your coming. May You help us to finish our course and fight the good fight. We look to You Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith that our faith may never fail, but we may remain steadfast in You and run the race set before us with endurance. Help us dear Lord Jesus not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is good, acceptable and perfect will of God. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Matthew 17:5, 2 Timothy 4:7
Acts 4:11-12 NKJV
”This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
INSIGHT
–Jesus was rejected, tortured, smitten, oppressed and afflicted for our sins. Like a lamb is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. He Who knew no sin became sin so that we may become the righteousness of God. Jesus died for us all, so that those who live may no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for us and rose again (2 Corinthians 5:15). We have therefore been justified freely by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, and have the gift of salvation in Christ Jesus. If we then openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead we shall be saved (Romans 10:9). Let us then preach the gospel to the nations and witness the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection so that others may also be saved.
SUMMARY
As we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus, we acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior having released His power and grace that works in us as Christians. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). The Easter season is therefore a time of celebration and jubilation for Jesus defeated and took away the curse of sin leading to death, and we have victory in Him. We then ask, O death where is your victory? O death where is your sting?, for death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). For when we were still sinners, Jesus died for our sins and we have been justified by faith through grace so that no one should boast, as we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). We have therefore been called to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus, and not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to obey its evil desires and instruments of wickedness, but rather offer ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:10-14). On the same wavelength, if we are in Christ, we are a new creation and the old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:16-17). Let us walk as children of light for we believe in Jesus Christ and glorify the Lord with our lives, and we shall see no darkness and have the gift of eternal life. We are called to hold fast our faith in Christ Jesus for He has won victory for us.
PRAYER
Jesus You are the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through You. We love You Lord and exult Your holy name, thank You for loving us first. May You cleanse us from all unrighteousness and forgive us all our sins, iniquities, transgressions and wash us with Your precious blood. We rejoice in You dear Lord Jesus. We boast in the hope of Your glory dear Lord Jesus. All power and glory belong to You dear Lord Jesus. God of all breakthrough show Yourself mighty on my behalf, on behalf of our children, on behalf of our work, marriages, families, churches, communities, government, nation and nations of the world. May You break every obstacle, barrier, hindrance, chain, challenge and cause victory to come. As You died on the cross, let us die to our sins and resurrect with You in hope, faith, wisdom, power, strength, and breakthroughs in every aspect of our lives. May You bless us and keep us dear Lord Jesus. May You shine Your face towards us and be gracious unto us. May You show Your countenance unto us and give us peace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen
Further reading: John 3:16, John 14:6