“Who’s We?”
Right now “We” is the people of Pioneer Baptist Church, Norwalk, California, but in a more general sense, it’s independent Baptists and many more who take a literal approach to the Bible. Jesus said, (Matthew 12:40 KJV) “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” We believe the LORD Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was crucified on Wednesday, was in the tomb Wednesday night, Thursday, Thursday night, Friday, Friday night, Saturday (That’s three days and three nights, as Jesus said) and sometime shortly thereafter rose from the dead, leaving the Tomb empty on Sunday morning! We further believe that Jesus took His final Passover Meal on Tuesday evening with “The 12.” Then, as our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7 “… For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:”) He was crucified the next day, which was Wednesday.
It’s a tough time for the Christian to contemplate and observe the torturous crucifixion of our Sinless Saviour. The United States of America forbids “cruel and unusual punishments” and crucifixion certainty fits that category. We don’t like the thought of even a thief enduring such a death, much less the Greatest Giver Ever, Who was completely without sin! Imagine how wrong it was to falsely convict and then crucify such a perfect man, Who again, was God in the flesh. Imagine!!! And yet, that is what took place, this is when it took place, and we are told to observe it all “in remembrance of Christ.” There is so much to remember! We remember how much He loves us, we remember how He came to seek and to save that which was lost, we remember His vicious betrayal, we remember His determination to pay the price for our sins, a price that we could not possibly meet ourselves, and we remember that He said He was going to prepare a place for us. There is a lot to remember, and to be sure we never forget. We could call it the Christian Memorial Day. (Hard to think of the death, while so thankful for the deliverance.) As America has her heroes, so Christ our Saviour is and always will be our Hero. In service, He gave His life so we could be free, defeating an enemy greater than Hitler, that being Lucifer.
Tonight, we “shew the LORD’s death,” and immediately after that observation, we turn our happy faces to “till He come.” His “coming” is a broad subject. For Thomas and the apostles, He came in three days, for above five hundred other believers, He came days later, for the Church, He comes soon at the Rapture, and for all believers, He’s coming back after the Tribulation Period in power and glory! God haste the day when the faith shall be sight!
“We” love it!
Love to all,
Pastor