2 DAY ONE: APRIL 1, 2019 Introduction to Walking with Jesus Steve Vaughan, Executive Pastor Adult Ministries and Missions Romans 8:31-39 One thing I can say is an absolute in my life is that Easter and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ makes me exceedingly happy and full of joy. When I wake up on Easter morning, it is different than every other morning of the year. There is expectation, not for an event about to happen, but for the privilege and joy of celebrating the most glorious event that has ever occurred in history. I literally cannot wait for the first person who comes up to me and proclaims, “He is risen!” just so I can loudly and proudly proclaim, “He has risen indeed!” Actually, I am not sure why we don’t do this all of the time and every day. It is exhilarating! Those simple words remind us of the reality that we find ourselves. As believers, we are loved, redeemed, and sanctified through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It reminds us of Paul’s words in Romans 8, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Imagine if we truly lived every day of our lives living out this truth, living in the joy and expectation of who we have become, and now are, through the person of Jesus Christ. This is why we celebrate Easter. This is why we align our lives in obedience to Jesus Christ. This is why we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Over the next 21 days leading up to Easter, we hope these daily devotions will begin to prepare your heart and guide your life to help you understand this reality and live victoriously and joyfully daily. We pray that wherever you are in your journey with Jesus Christ that we would come alongside one another to explore the teachings about Jesus the Messiah from both the Old and New Testaments as we walk with Jesus in his last days leading to his crucifixion on the cross, his glorious resurrection, and the promises available to all who would believe in Him. He is risen! He is risen indeed! 3 DAY TWO: APRIL 2, 2019 Christmas and Easter: Galatians 3:13-14 Why We Need Both Jerry Thornton, Executive Pastor of Administration Red, green, gold, blue, and silver cover the floor. It is Christmas morning and all over the world floors are covered with paper and ribbon. Families and friends, adults and children exchange gifts. Christmas is all about giving. As parents, we shower our children with gifts and at the same time, try to teach our children about giving. We help them realize the joy and responsibility of giving back resources that we have been blessed with. A few short months later, children receive baskets filled with eggs and candy with no expectation to give anything back. Easter is all about receiving. Giving and receiving are important concepts that we, as Christians, must come to terms with. They are foundational within our faith. At Christmas, Jesus was given to us. John 3:16 tells us that God loves us so much that He “gave”. But even within the birth narrative of Jesus, we see the Magi giving back. Christmas teaches us that there is a joy and responsibility in giving. But Easter teaches us that part of being a Christian is about receiving. The Book of Romans teaches us that we receive forgiveness, reconciliation, provision, grace, and adoption into God’s family, all through Jesus. Because of Easter, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we receive eternal life with Christ. This is not something we could ever earn or receive on our own. It is a gift from God. When we give, most of us seek to give good gifts. We seek out needs and desires of the one receiving our gifts. God knew our greatest need was life. But he doesn’t want just any life for us. He gives us abundant life. So many times it is easier to give than to receive. When we receive we are acknowledging our need. Don’t let the paper and ribbons of Christmas morning, or the baskets of eggs and candy of Easter distract us from the real gifts we have received from God. 4 DAY THREE: APRIL 3, 2019 The Blood of Bulls and Goats Jason Pamblanco, Executive Pastor of Worship and Teaching Lev. 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13, 15, 18; 6:7; Pastor Marty was teaching at Etch-Ed a few weeks ago and he said 19:22 that he tells the college students, “Deuteronomy is where Bible reading Romans 3:21- 26 plans go to die.” This light-hearted jab at our discipline to read through the Old Testament should also to serve to motivate Christians to do a better job of trying to comprehend the Old Testament and how it relates to the New Testament. The Bible (Old and New Testament) is a Christian book. We should not neglect or gloss quickly over two thirds of God’s Revelation to us. For a moment, let’s soak in the numerous passages of Leviticus before us. The list gives us a common theme: The blood of a sacrifice was offered by a priest, for the atonement of the sins of the people of God. God made it clear through the sacrificial system that a mediator and shed blood was necessary for the forgiveness of sins. But the repetitious nature of the Old Testament sacrificial system seemed to indicate that the atonement or covering for sin needed to be reestablished on an ongoing basis. This perpetual sacrificing, coupled with other Old Testament revelation, is what led the true people of God to understand there would be a once-for-all sacrifice made by Messiah to come, which would fulfill or complete the atoning work prefigured in animal sacrifice. This is what Paul explains in Romans 3:21-26. Christ’s work on the cross was made as mediator between God and man (remember the temple curtain being torn), and His blood was a propitiation (the satisfying of God’s wrath) for our sins. Paul says that this (Christ’s sacrifice) was to show God’s righteousness because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. You see – the blood of bulls and goats never truly saved the Old Testament saints – it simply was a covering by which God passed over the sins of those whose true faith was in the promised Messiah to come and not in their own righteousness. In God’s patience, He permitted the blood of animal sacrifices to be a temporary cover and passed over former sins for a time. Today, I want to challenge Thomasville Road Baptist Church to be a people that are committed to growing in our understanding of all of Scripture (even the parts that detail the Old Testament sacrificial system). Paul said Scripture is all useful (2 Tim. 3:16-17). So will you recommit to your Bible reading plan? Will you see Christ in the pages of the Old Testament? His prefigured death, burial and resurrection are there for you to reflect upon and live by. 5 DAY FOUR: APRIL 4, 2019 A Better Way Hebrews 10:1-14 Courtney Vinson, Associate Pastor of Worship We all have those chores in our lives that just never seem to end . for me, it’s dishes. How frustrating it is, after you’ve just spent what feels like forever up to your elbows in bubbles, and you finally get that last dish dried and into the cabinet, you need to use that clean fork. Now your beautifully empty sink starts to fill up again! I find myself thinking, “there HAS to be a better way!” Now try to take this frustration and put yourself into the sandals of a Jew during the time frame of the Old Testament. Except in this scenario, the repetitive frustration, that feeling of “there HAS to be a better way,” applies to their acceptance into God’s presence! The stakes are much higher, but the frustration is still the same. Can you imagine what it would be like to actually attempt to keep the Law of Moses? There were lots of cleanliness regulations that were simply beyond the control of most people. For instance (back to modern day), I found a dead lizard when I was cleaning off my porch the other day and accidently touched it while I was pulling out the pot it was in . whoops, unclean! (Lev. 11:30) What about the joyful birth of my little boy? I’m so excited and want to express my thanks to God for his safe arrival . but wait, I’m unclean now for the next week. Oh, and he’s a boy, so there’s an extra month in there until I’m allowed back into the sanctuary. (Lev. 12:2-4) Thankfully, God provided the Israelites a way to purify themselves, to make atonement for these things that blatantly or inadvertently separated them from God. But still, “there HAS to be a better way!” That’s where Jesus comes into the picture, and oh how glad we are that He did! Hebrews 10:1 tells us that since the law “has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.” God gave the sacrificial system partly to put the longing in our hearts for that better way.