Passion with a Purpose Preview

8/9/2019 Passion with a Purpose Preview

1/11


2/11


3/11

Copyright © 2004 by Max Lucado, Charles R. Swindoll,

John MacArthur, Anne Graham Lotz, and Billy Graham.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,

mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations

in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a

trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Christian Publishing, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

Scripture quotations are from the following sources: THE KING

JAMES VERSION (kjv ). HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL

VERSION®, niv ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,

Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

www.zondervan.com. NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE® (nasb),© The Lockman Foundation © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972,

1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Holy

Bible, New Living Translation (nlt) © 1996 used by permission of

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights

reserved. THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION (nkjv ). © 1982 by

Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. New

Century Version (ncv )®

. © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used bypermission. All rights reserved.

Designed by DesignWorks, Sisters, Oregon

ISBN: 978-1-4041-0236-1

Printed in the United States

14 15 16 17 18 POL 5 4 3 2


4/11

f o r E a c h D a y

W o r d s o f W i s d o m a n d F a i t h


5/11


6/11

H o p e f o r E a c h D a y 5

D A Y 2

Christ Is Risen

He is not here, but is risen! L U K E 2 4 : 6 n k j v

= Easter Sunday is the most triumphant and joy-

ous day in the calendar of the Christian Church—and it should be!

For many people the resurrection of Jesus Christis symbolized by new Easter clothes, or the brightcolor of daffodils and beautiful, white Easter lilies.But most of all, the wonder of His resurrection is

symbolized in the hope that beats in the hearts ofbelievers everywhere as they sing triumphantly:“Christ the Lord is risen today.”

It is the message “Jesus is alive!” that liftsChristianity out of the category of dead superstitionsand archaic religions and makes it the abiding faithof millions. The angel’s message is true: “He is nothere, but is risen!” And now God’s promise is for you:“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus andbelieve in your heart that God has raised Him fromthe dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).


7/11


8/11


D A Y 4

He Suffered for YouHis visage was marred more than any man.

I S A I A H 5 2 : 1 4 n k j v

= When Jesus Christ was on the Cross, His blooddraining the life from His body, He knew what it

was like to be alone and wracked with pain. But Jesus’ pain was far more than just physical pain, forHe was suffering God’s judgment on all the sinsof the ages—the greatest darkness of the soul everknown. As the divine Son of God, He was perfectand without sin. But all our sins were placed on

Him, and He took the judgment and Hell we alonedeserve. He died in our place.

Why did Jesus suffer? For you. For me. That wemight have eternal life and have His peace in themidst of life’s storms. That we might know that He

understands our pain and suffering and stands readyto help. Why did Jesus suffer? Because God loves us.

Because God loves you, and Christ willingly went tothe Cross for you. There was no other way for sin’spenalty to be paid, and for us to be redeemed. The

Cross is the measure of God’s love.How will you respond to His love, poured out

on the Cross for you?


9/11

8 B i l l y G r a h a m

D A Y 5

It Is FinishedHe was wounded for our transgressions.I S A I A H 5 3 : 5 n k j v

= On a hill overlooking the harbor of Macao,Portuguese settlers built a massive cathedral. But over

time it fell in ruins, except for one wall. On the topof that high, jutting wall, challenging the elementsdown through the years, was a huge bronze cross.

It is said that when Sir John Bowring saw it, he was moved to write those words familiar to us all:“In the cross of Christ I glory, / Tow’ring o’er the

wrecks of time.” . . . When Jesus lifted up His voice and cried, “It is

finished,” He did not mean His life was ebbing awayor God’s plan had been foiled. Though death wasnear, Jesus realized the last obstacle had been hurdled

and the last enemy destroyed. He had successfullyand triumphantly completed the task of redemption. With the words, “It is finished,” He announced thatHeaven’s door was open.

Kingdoms and empires come and go, but theCross and all it stands for will always remain,

“Tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time.”


10/11


D A Y 6

The Resurrection and LifeHe who believes in me will live,

. . . and . . . will never die. J O H N 1 1 : 2 5 – 2 6 n i v

= We have three great enemies: sin, Satan, and

death. Because Christ rose from the dead, we knowthat sin and death and Satan have been decisivelydefeated. And because Christ rose from the dead, weknow there is life after death, and that if we belongto Him we need not fear death or hell.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He

who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”(John 11:25–26 niv ). He also promised, “If I go andprepare a place for you, I will come back and takeyou to be with me that you also may be where I am”

(John 14:3niv

).How hopeless our lives would be if these words were not true. Every cemetery and every grave site would be a mute witness to the futility and despair ofhuman life. But His words are true! By God’s power Jesus rose from the dead and hundreds became wit-

nesses to His resurrection (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–8). What a glorious hope we have because Jesus is

alive!


11/11

1 0 B i l l y G r a h a m

D A Y 7

The Message of Easter He has risen! He is not here.M A R K 1 6 : 6 n i v

= The message of Easter is the central focus ofChristianity.

The Apostle Paul said, “If Christ has not beenraised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins”(1 Corinthians 15:17 niv ). It is as simple as that. IfChrist is still dead, then He cannot be our Savior,for He was not the Son of God, and He died like allmen. More than that, Heaven’s doors are still locked.

But if Christ is risen, as the Scriptures teach andas hundreds of witnesses testified (none of whom everrecanted that testimony despite threats and death formany of them), then we have the ultimate hope ofhumanity—eternal life with the God who made us

and the certainty of life beyond the grave. What does Easter mean to you? It should meaneverything, because Christ has conquered death! Andthat makes all the difference—now and forever!

Passion with a Purpose Preview

Documents

Transcript of Passion with a Purpose Preview