The Greatest Day in History

  This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on  April 20th 2025 by Colin D Cruz. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

The Greatest Day in History

Think about your life. There must be something significant in your life. Children remember their birthdays, and married people remember their wedding anniversaries. We also remember historic events. 

Today, we remember the greatest event in history - Jesus' Resurrection. 

Why is it so important? 

This body that you see is just a shell. As we grow old, we lose some parts, and one day this body will be cast out. But that doesn't end you. The real you is going to live forever. Where you live forever depends on Jesus' Resurrection. 

One day we will also be resurrected, and that body will live forever with Jesus or suffer in hell forever. The Bible speaks about this. 

Last week, we saw the message of Jesus' death. He gave up his life for us. His work is finished. He died on the cross for our sins. Death entered the Garden of Eden. Because sin entered the Garden of Eden, we die. 

Rose is beautiful, but it has thorns. When God created the rose, it didn't have thorns. 

Genesis 3:17-18 NIV - [17] To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. [18] It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

The sickness we have is all because of the fall. Jesus came to set us free. He died and rose again on the third day. 

Matthew 28:1 NIV - [1] After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

We see in the gospels that the women had a great spirit. Jesus' disciples deserted him but the women stayed.

Mathew 28:1-10

On the third day, a violent earthquake and an angel came down. The guards who were posted there saw something like lightning, and they were scared. The angel told the women that Jesus was not there and that he had risen. He told them to inform the disciples that Jesus was going ahead and would meet them in Galilee. As the women hurried joyfully, Jesus suddenly appeared to them and greeted them.

The message of Easter is one of hope. Jesus indeed rose from the dead. He came through walls, but he had a body, not just a spirit. 

There were others who were brought to life from the dead, like Jairus' daughter and Lazarus. They were only resuscitated because they eventually died. But Jesus rose never to die again. 

Jesus is the first fruits for us. One day we will die too. Those who put their faith in Jesus will die and rise again to be with Jesus forever.

 

1 Corinthians 15:3-6 NIV - [3] For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. [6] After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

If Jesus has not been raised from the dead, then our belief is useless. 

On the Earth, there's sin, sickness, accidents, suffering, death and much more. But not in heaven.

Romans 10:9 NIV - [9] If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

Matthew 28:6-7 NIV - [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.” 

From these verses, we see that Jesus has commanded us to do two things - 

Come and see

Gilbert West want to disprove Jesus' Resurrection. And so he started to write a book. But halfway through, he encountered Jesus, and then he started to write the other way round. 

Lew Wallace wanted to disprove the resurrection, too, but he met Jesus and wrote the book, Ben-Hur.

Frank Morrison wanted to do the same, but ended up writing the book, Who Moved the Stone?

 

Go and tell

There's a dying world out there. When they die, they will be punished. Nothing can take away their sins. Sins are to be punished. Either you will pay for it, or we put our faith in Jesu,s who bore all our sins and paid for it all. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

A Roadmap to the Joy of the Lord

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on  April 13th 2025 by Dr. Ranjit Rodrigues. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

This morning, I want to say that if you love Jesus, then nothing happens by chance. 

If we are followers of Jesus, God makes everything beautiful at the right time. God has a great plan and good will for us which he is steadily bringing to pass.

If I tell you God's will for you then that would make me a fortune teller. It is God who reveals His plans for you to you. I'm going to tell you how you can find God's will for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV - [16] Rejoice always, [17] pray continually, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Today I'm offering you a treasure which is the Joy of the Lord, a map to the treasure and a key to open the treasure which is gratitude. 

3 things are sure to lead you to the Lord -

1.        Rejoice 

2.        Pray

3.        Give thanks 

1.        The Joy of the Lord is our treasure

Rejoice always is a powerful command. I tend to confuse happiness and joy. 

Happiness is an emotion which goes up and down and it depends on our circumstances. 

Joy of the Lord is a deep inner conviction that because of who I am in Christ all is well in my soul.

It is knowing deep within that your sins are forgiven; best life is designed for you and God has good plans for your life. 

We may wonder if Joy is even possible. 

Nehemiah was asked to go to a place where walls were burnt and then build everything. It looked impossible. 

But he could do it with strategy. He knew it was not by his strength but with God's. He encouraged the people saying, "the Joy of the Lord is your strength".

I encourage you, rejoice in the Lord always. This is a command, not a suggestion. When we rejoice in God, miracles happen. 

Paul and Silas started singing when they were thrown into prison. As they sang, their chains are broken. When we rejoice in the Lord, God does miracles. 

You may say "I don't know how to access this joy" It is possible only by having a relationship with God.

If you haven't accepted Jesus yet, you can do it in a minute by acknowledging that you are a sinner and then receive Jesus. 

2.        Prayer is the map to the treasure

Pray continuously without ceasing. 

What is prayer? It is communicating with God.

So, communicate with God continually. 

Airline pilots use 1 in 60 rule - if you deviate from the set path by 1 degree, in 60 miles, it leads you away by 1 mile from the destination. 

What would keep us on course even during the storms of our lives? It is our constant relationship with God. 

We see that great leaders fall. The reason is that somewhere they went off the course by 1 degree.

Stay in continual contact with Jesus in prayer. 

Continual prayer is needed for a continual course correction. 

When Jesus called the disciples, all of them responded with a Yes. This is because Jesus spent time with the Father in prayer. 

Daniel knelt and prayed 3 times a day. When you start doing it, you will see God doing amazing things.  

3.        Gratitude is the key to open the treasure

Give thanks in all circumstances. 

Philippians 4:6 NIV  - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

Once Matthew Henry was robbed and he wrote about it in his diary. He wrote it this way - 

Let me be thankful that he didn't rob me before.

Let me be thankful that he didn't take my life.

I'm thankful that it wasn't much that he took from me. 

I'm thankful that it was him but not me who robbed.

We must constantly fill our minds with gratitude. 

Application: 

1.        Make it a choice to rejoice daily. It is a spiritual discipline. 

2.        Integrate prayer in your daily routine. Set at least 3 alarms in a day in order to pray

3.        Integrate gratitude in your conversations with one another

4.        Joy isn't joy until we given it. Tell others how to access the joy of the Lord

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

The Greatest Exchange in History

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on  April 6th 2025 by Navaz. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

INTRODUCTION

We are in the season of Lent, and it is good for us to reflect on the Cross and some of the things Jesus did for us.

As we know from Genesis chapter 3 to Calvary, God has been patiently pursuing lost humanity. Rebellion, waywardness, self-centeredness, pride, and self-rule are so deeply ingrained in our hearts that humans often run away from God, disobey Him, fall into trouble, and then cry out to Him as though He has neglected to look after them. God would rescue him with His mighty arm, and you would think that they would have learnt their lesson, but no. A few years later, the same downward spiral of rebellion and self will start, and the whole nation of Israel will be in a mess again.

But God. Thank God for the But God!! God had a plan set in eternity where the Lamb of God was slain before the foundations of the Earth were laid. Rev 13:8

Jesus, in the fullness of time, came to reconcile us to the Father (2 Cor. 5:18). He came to redeem humanity, which was enslaved to sin and Satan’s rule (1 Cor. 1:30). He came to restore us to our divine calling, which was given in the Garden of Eden – to rule, have stewardship of the earth, and increase and multiply so that, as God’s image bearers, God’s glory would fill the whole world. This is what we have been saved for!

But for all this to happen, another perfect human, a perfect second Adam, needed to come and show us how to be truly human the way God intended all along. Only He could pay the price, live a perfect life, redeem by one selfless act and surrender life that Adam had gambled away.

THE EXCHANGE

OUR PLIGHT		WHAT JESUS DID FOR US
·      Two Trees Where Adam ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that led to death	Jesus hung on a cruel cross to give us life. 1Pet 2:24
·      Rejection We rejected God in our wayward rebellion and became orphaned beings.	Jesus took upon Himself our rejection so that we could be accepted. Matthew 27:46, Jesus cries out, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?", which translates to "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Is53, Eph1:5-6.
·      Sonship We were sons and children of God who became children of the devil.	Jesus, the Son of the Father, had to become a son of man so that we could become sons of God. Gal 3:26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith."
·      Unrighteousness	Jesus took upon Himself all our filth, our unrighteous acts, so that we could be clothed in His garments of righteousness. Zech 3:4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
·      Sin ·	He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21. God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Shame We were filled with shame because of what we had done.	Jesus took our shame and gave us glory. Heb12:2 For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
·      Guilt We were guilty as charged and needed to pay the penalty for our sins, which is death	. Jesus took our guilt and washed us clean. Is 53:6 and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. What is the difference between shame and guilt? Shame is an emotion you feel around something you may have done or about how someone makes you feel about what you have done. Guilt is focused on action or behaviour.
·      Punishment We deserve punishment because we are guilty.	But our punishment was laid upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed from everything. Is 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
·      Curse Adam and Eve were cursed for their transgression, and that curse was passed on to all humanity	Jesus took our punishment, guilt, shame and curse on the Cross. Gal 3:13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'
·      Wrath A Holy God cannot stand sin. He was angry with sin	Jesus allowed the Father’s wrath to come upon Himself so that through the Cross, we might have peace with God. Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Bondage ·	Jesus took all our bondages, oppression and pain on himself so that we could enjoy freedom. John 8:36, Gal 2:13-15, Gal 5:1 5 Stand[a] fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage
·      Mourning and heaviness ·	Jesus took our despair, mourning, and heaviness and gave us joy, hope, and beauty. Ps 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off [a]my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,”. Is 61:3
·      Eternal Death and Damnation We deserve to die and be eternally separated from God	But Jesus paid the price so that we might have Eternal life. He died in my place so that I might live. He took our damnation and gave us destiny! Rom 6:23, John 10:10, John 3:16

THE PASSOVER LAMB

·      God’s timing is perfect. Jesus dies at the time the Passover is being celebrated. Did you know that lambs slaughtered for the Passover were reared in Bethlehem?  One perfect Lamb was also born in Bethlehem.

·      Where lambs were sacrificed every year, the Lamb of God was sacrificed once and for all, an atoning sacrifice for all of mankind’s sins for all time!!  (John1:29). This Lamb, just like the other Passover lambs, was without spot or blemish, and not a bone was broken or out of place.

·      Passover was about the liberation of enslaved people. The blood of a lamb was put on the wooden doorposts to save them (Ex 12:3). Now this Lamb shed His blood on a wooden cross to save us from death.

·      The firstborns of the oppressors were struck dead, while the firstborns of those under the blood were spared. God’s firstborn was struck in our place, and His shed blood protects us who believe.

·      Right from Eden, blood was sacrificed as a covering. Throughout the OT, we see blood spilled in sacrifice for repentance and atonement.

·      When Jesus died, blood and water flowed from His side (Jn 19:37, Zech 13:1) - blood for atonement, for the forgiveness of guilt.

Water – purification to wash stains.

This is symbolically displayed in the two ordinances or sacraments we are asked to follow, namely the Breaking of Bread and Water Baptism.

·      Sacrifices were made in the temple. Jesus talks about Himself as the temple when He says in three days, he will tear it down and raise it up. John 2:19 -21 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The temple was associated with sacrifice (Jn 2:21). Blood and water flowed in the physical temple. There is blood sacrifice and ceremonial washing. Blood and water flow from Jesus's side into the world out of the temple.

Jn 7 -Rivers of living water will flow out from you

In Ezekiel 47, you see the water flowing out from the temple into the world, giving life wherever it flowed.

·      While the Jews were looking for liberation from Roman rule, Jesus liberated us from Satan’s rule. The former had bearing only in a particular time and space. The latter has implications for eternity.

CONCLUSION 

·      The Son of God became the son of Man so that we, the sons of Man, could become sons of God.

·      The eternal living one dies so that those condemned to eternal death might have life forevermore. 

This is the greatest exchange of all history. Let us stand and worship and take part in one ordinance instituted for us, which is the Breaking of Bread.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Pictures of the Church - Part 5

 

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on  March 16th 2025 by Navaz. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

CHURCH AS A FAMILY – PART 3

Last week, we examined God's heart toward His creation made in His image. His heart always wanted to have an intimate relationship with us. But we saw how sin corrupted God’s perfect creation. Yet God made a covenant with Abraham's family and then with the nation of Israel, who was supposed to be a model to the rest of the world, but the rebellion was so deeply rooted in their hearts.

And then, in the fullness of time, as prophesied in Gen 3, God sent His only son to die for us while we were steeped in our sin. Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father and to make way for an orphaned planet to find sonship through the Cross. We have been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus and brought into His family. God has expectations for each of us. We need to live to please the Lord. The Bible asks us to “find out what pleases Him”. It is not just function but relationship. In God’s family, the master and worker are brothers. The Cross brings down every barrier and diving wall.

We then looked at God’s family. What are some of our features and characteristics? God is our father, Jesus is the head of the family, He is our brother, we are His household, and we are a caring community that seeks to live in harmony and unity.

We ended by asking where you are in the family circle of life: an infant, child, young adult, reproducing parent, or grandparent.

Jesus saved us to reconcile us to the Father. We have been transferred from being orphans into a family, from one kingdom to another. Our salvation has a plan and purpose: to bring those who are not yet saved into the family.

So, after salvation, it is not a time to sit around and sing lovely songs. We are called to co-labour, co-create, and collaborate with Jesus. We have a job to do within the family and then get involved in the family business or mission to seek the lost.

The last time, Colin took us through how we live together as a family: Family intimacy, fellowship, encouraging one another, carrying each other’s burdens, praying for one another, growing spiritually together and serving one another.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Each member of the family of God has a role to play. There are no spare tyres or parts

WE LIVE IN UNITY AND PEACE

• Ephesians 4:3 – “Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
• Romans 12:18 – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

While we celebrate our differences, it also gives us opportunities to rub each other the wrong way. The planners can get frustrated with spontaneity; the extroverts might find the introverts boring. We all must learn to accommodate our differences with grace, understanding, and respect.

However, we need to understand that the Cross has saved us, but sanctification is a lifelong process. We live in the now and not yet. So, we will face imperfections in our lives and those around us. This will give us opportunities to practice unity, forgiveness, and forbearance. etc

For this unity to work, we must work on a few things, such as our character and our relationships.

Two things that Jesus highlighted a few hours before His death are – our love for one another (by this shall all men know that you are my disciples). And our unity (that they may be one even as the Father and I are one).

WE FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER

This love and unity are vital if we are to learn how to handle our differences well and forgive well. People will hurt you, and you must learn to fight off offence (real and imagined). At least 20 passages of scripture address our need to forgive each other.

Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Mark 11:25 - And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Colossians 3:13 - Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Matthew 6:12 - And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

WE CELEBRATE EACH OTHER AND ARE THERE FOR EACH OTHER’S SUCCESS.

Though we carry the same DNA as Christ, we are all uniquely shaped. Each one of us has been fearfully and wonderfully made. We have different gifts, talents, temperaments and personalities. We must honour and celebrate our differences and not try to clone each other.

How do we do this? We encourage one another,

James 4: 2—3   You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have it because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive it because you ask with wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

1Cor 3:3 You are still worldly. Since you are jealous and quarrelling, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

WE SHARE AND GIVE GENEROUSLY

• Galatians 5:13 – “Through love serve one another.”
• 1 Peter 4:10 – “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.”
• Acts 2:44-45 – “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”
• 2 Corinthians 9:7 – “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

At Word of Grace, we circulate everything we can – from furniture to appliances and clothes. There is no shame in this. This is what a family does. So, baby toys, beds, clothes, etc., all make church rounds. In this way, we help the young parents save money.

When someone gets married or is renting a home, we look for what we can bless them with to help with expenses. Whenever we buy new furniture, we give away what we no longer use. We could have sold it, but we chose to give it away.

When there has been a crisis of a major illness, we have often offered to help that family with hospital expenses.

People in the world do not understand this behaviour and so thing that we must have an agenda.

 WE LEAVE A LEGACY

Every good parent plans an inheritance for their children. We leave money and possessions behind for them. And that is required and good. But the best legacy you can give them is a spiritual one.

In the church, our job as brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and grandparents is to multiply ourselves in someone else. Whose life are you investing in? That legacy will live one for generations to come. The Biblical word for that is discipling.

Titus 2: 3-5 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands so that no one will malign the word of God.

V6.Similarly, young men should be encouraged to be self-controlled. ⁷ In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸ and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

2 Tim 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

FAMILY ON A MISSION

God always wanted a family that would work with Him. That is why He created Adam and Eve—to co-work. He made this magnificent creation and then put us in charge. And we know how that went. But then the power and authority that we lost were redeemed and restored to us on the Cross. The Gen command is echoed in Matt 28:18–20—Go make disciples of all nations. It’s a command to multiply and to steward (make disciples and teach them to obey).

Jesus is waiting for His gospel to reach the ends of the Earth, and then the end will come. We have a job to do. We are the only organisation that exists for the benefit of its non-members. Everything we do and learn here is to prepare us for our real vocation, which is outside these four walls—to be salt that flavours society, prevents corruption, and preserves what is good.

We are to be a light to the nations, showing the way and shedding light on injustices.

 Isiah 61 mandate is upon us.

One day, all imperfections will cease. That is the day when we will meet Jesus face to face, and there will be a final restoration of all things. There will be a celebration of the marriage feast of the Lamb where families from every nation, tribe and tongue will gather before the throne of God and will be invited to this great banquet. This is what we live for. So, let us be encouraged with these words. Let us hold on unswervingly to the faith we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Everything will be made new; no more sin, sickness, imperfections, or sorrow. They will all flee away.

We will continue to live in the now until then. We have a small taste here on earth. Now, we see dimly as in a mirror, but one day, we shall see clearly.

Let us continue to love and serve our Lord and His body, His family. Let us do the good works that He has prepared for us because one day, we will have to give an account of how we have lived. Let our lives give Him glory. Amen.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.