Looking for hope horizontally will leave you empty, unsatisfied and afraid. But looking for hope vertically will fill you and satisfy you because it brings with it inexpressible joy now and forevermore.

The devastation of our sin goes beyond what we are experiencing in this fallen and broken world. God is not OK with our sin and we shouldn’t be either. What we do with our sin has implications for all things in our life. We can keep it, carry it or we can cast it upon Jesus.

Jesus was arrested and went alone into illegal and illegitimate trials. He was mocked, betrayed, abandoned, abused, met with vicious words, spit on and punched so that you and I can be forgiven, cleansed, redeemed and given real and eternal life! Will you turn and trust in Jesus?

The anger and love of God are not mutually exclusive, you cannot have one without the other.

Jesus celebrates Passover with His disciples and introduces a whole new way for us to relate to God - through the New Covenant.

In Christianity, it’s easy to think that just because we’re going to church, reading our Bibles, participating in community and even believing and saying the right things about God that we’re being faithful and that we are right with God. But this week’s passage reveals that proximity to Jesus, does not guarantee faithfulness or salvation.

Trusting and following Jesus is vital to the Christian’s walk and faith. But this world is full of distraction and temptation that is intended to keep us from doing so. Therefore, Jesus' words here are meant to serve as a reminder to keep our eyes on Him. For He alone is the only one who can save us, redeem us, restore us, protect us, defend us and keep us safe and secure until the end! Therefore, Jesus is telling His disciples over and over to be on guard and stay awake so that they’re not led astray from trusting and following Him.

The scribes who have tried to trap Jesus since the beginning of His earthly ministry have been silenced and dare not ask any more questions. The Teacher now turns the tables and questions the students to expose their ignorance of the Scriptures. The He exposes their hypocrisy and evil deeds. Jesus promises that the religious system of that day will crumble and be destroyed as He is going to the cross in a few days, to set the captives free!

The Greatest Commandment is not meant to inspire us, it’s meant to crush us. In this, we’re reminded that only Jesus can fulfill the law of God’s commands and that the only way to live as God intended us to is through God’s Spirit alive in us!

The ultimate answer to LIFE now and forever more is not found in being right, doing right or even being convinced of the right thing. No, REAL and ETERNAL LIFE along with TRUE and LIVING HOPE is found in the RESSURECTED LIFE OF JESUS. The empty tomb verifies all of Jesus’ teachings and His ultimate authority regarding life and death.