FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Todd Gaddis

His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:29). Such attempts were unsuccessful because the timing was not right. His death would go according to God’s timing and terms.

GIVEN NOT TAKEN

Early in His ministry Jesus proclaimed, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21:5-9), even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). This crisis for the Hebrews en route to the Promised Land symbolized Christ’s being lifted on a Cross centuries later. And when that time came, Jesus willingly submitted. Referring to His life, Jesus later said, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (John 10:18, Mark 10:45). Victorious— Scripture details some wonderful victories. Joshua led God’s army against Jericho, as the walls crumbled before them. Young David felled the giant Goliath with a single shot to the forehead. After the Tribulation, the Lord will return to the earth, leading a heavenly army to defeat God’s enemies (Revelation 19:11- 16, 19-21). Yet none of these conquests, or any other throughout history for that matter, can compare to Christ’s ultimate victory at Calvary. Jesus’ heel was bruised on that day, but Satan’s head was crushed (Genesis 3:15). The Lord’s cry of “It is finished” (John 19:30) meant death, the devil, and sin had been defeated. Jesus died on that apex in history 2,000 years ago, but thankfully, just three days later His resurrection followed the crucifixion. Discovering an empty tomb when they checked on the gravesite, His followers heard from angels present that first Easter morning, “He is not here; he has risen” (Luke 24:6).

After the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, the local communist leader had been sent to a Russian village to

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