AT THE CROSS / RESURRECTION / AFTER THE THREE WOODEN CROSSES / FIRSTFRUITS OF THE DEAD / IT IS FINISHED / HE IS RISEN / HE WILL COME AGAIN TO GATHER HIS CHURCH ALL TRUE BELIEVERS

CROSS-EYED

Hebrews 12: 1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him ENDURED THE CROSS, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

1 Corinthians 15:20-34

 ²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,

the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

 

²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

 

²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

 

²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he “has put everything under his feet.”^[a] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

 

²⁹ Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? ³⁰ And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? ³¹ I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³² If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

   “Let us eat and drink,
   for tomorrow we die.”^[b]

    

James 1:18

¹⁸ In the exercise of ^(A)His will He ^(B)brought us forth by ^(C)the word of truth, so that we would be ^[a]a kind of ^(D)first fruits ^[b]among His creatures.

Acts 17:1-3

² And ^(B)according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three ^(C)Sabbaths reasoned with them from ^(D)the Scriptures, ^{3 [a]}explaining and ^[b]giving evidence that the ^[c]Christ ^(E)had to suffer and ^(F)rise again from the dead, and saying, “^(G)This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the ^[d]Christ.”

John 18:5-8

⁵ They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. ⁶ So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷ Therefore He again asked them, “^(A)Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,”

John 18:33-38

 ³³ Therefore Pilate ^(A)entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “^(B)Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Are you saying this ^[a]on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “^(C)My kingdom ^[b]is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not ^[c]of this realm.” ³⁷ Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “^(D)You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, ^(E)to testify to the truth. ^(F)Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” ³⁸ Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”

   And when he had said this, he ^(G)went out again to the Jews and *said to them, “^(H)I find no guilt in Him.

 

 

John 19:3-15

³ and they began to come up to Him and say, “^(A)Hail, King of the Jews!” and to ^(B)give Him slaps in the face. ⁴ Pilate ^(C)came out again and *said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that ^(D)I find no guilt in Him.” ⁵ Jesus then came out, ^(E)wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate *said to them, “Behold, the Man!” ⁶ So when the chief priests and the ^(F)officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate *said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for ^(G)I find no guilt in Him.” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “^(H)We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He ^(I)made Himself out to be the Son of God.”  ⁸ Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; ⁹ and he ^(J)entered into the ^[a]Praetorium again and *said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But ^(K)Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate *said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” ¹¹ Jesus answered, “^(L)You would have no authority ^[b]over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason ^(M)he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” ¹² As a result of this Pilate ^[c]made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “^(N)If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king ^[d]opposes Caesar.”
 ¹³ Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and ^(O)sat down on the judgment seat at a place called ^[e]The Pavement, but ^(P)in ^[f]Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was ^(Q)the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the ^[g](R)sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Behold, ^(S)your King!” ¹⁵ So they cried out, “^(T)Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

 

 

John 19:19

¹⁹ Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “^(A)JESUS THE NAZARENE, ^(B)THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

John 19:30-34

³⁰ Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “^(A)It is finished!” And He bowed His head and ^(B)gave up His spirit.

Care of the Body of Jesus

 ³¹ Then the Jews, because it was ^(C)the day of preparation, so that ^(D)the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (^[a]for that Sabbath was a ^(E)high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was ^(F)crucified with Him; ³³ but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately ^(G)blood and water came out.

John 20:12-18

¹² and she *saw ^(A)two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³ And they *said to her, “^(B)Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because ^(C)they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” ¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and *^(D)saw Jesus standing there, and ^(E)did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus *said to her, “^(F)Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him ^(G)in ^[a]Hebrew, “^(H)Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ^(I)My brethren and say to them, ‘I ^(J)ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” ^{18 (K)}Mary Magdalene *came, ^(L)announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

John 20:25-31

²⁵ So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in ^(A)His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, ^(B)I will not believe.”  ^{26 [a]}After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been ^[b]shut, and stood in their midst and said, “^(C)Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then He *said to Thomas, “^(D)Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” ²⁸ Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? ^(E)Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Why This Gospel Was Written

 ^{30 (F)}Therefore many other ^[c](G)signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these have been written ^(H)so that you may believe that Jesus is ^[d]the Christ, ^(I)the Son of God; and that ^(J)believing you may have life in His name.

Romans 8:23

^{23 (A)}And not only this, but also we ourselves, having ^(B)the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves ^(C)groan within ourselves, ^(D)waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, ^(E)the redemption of our body.

 

Luke 23:32-43

 ³² Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³ When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,

for they do not know what they are doing.”

^[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

 ³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

 ³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

 ³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 ³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

 ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

 ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[b]”

 ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

 

THE MANUFACTURER'S HANDBOOK

INDICATES ALL MUST

INDIVIDUALLY CHOOSE

TO BELIEVE

OR NOT TO BELIEVE

DO YOU?

Luke 24:44-49

 ⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

 ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

 

Jesus Has Risen  Matthew 28 ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 

The Great Commission   Matthew 28  ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

John 14

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

 ¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father

 ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know^[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

 ⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

 ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

    ¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[c] in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

 ²² Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

 ²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

   ²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

   ²⁸ “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. ³⁰ I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, ³¹ but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

 

 

1 Thessalonians 4

Believers Who Have Died

 ¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.