Hello, boys and girls:
We are going to talk today about two words that begin with the same two letters— “crucified” and “crowned.” I have been thinking about these words lately, because there were four children in a little vacation Bible school who did not know what the word “crucified” meant. We read about it in the Bible but do not hear much about it anywhere else.
Both of these words refer to the same Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. Before God created the world, He knew the people He was going to create would disobey Him and fall into sin. Their sins would separate them from God, so they would need to be rescued from their sins. Because He and His Son, the Lord Jesus, loved the people very much, they designed a plan so that men, women, boys and girls could have their sins removed and be brought back into a relationship with Him.
This was the plan, but His Son was going to have to pay the great cost. Jesus Christ would become a man here on earth and bear the punishment for sin. Over 2,000 years ago, He was born into this world as a little baby, grew up and lived here as a perfect, sinless man. He showed us what God is like—full of love and pity for sinners like you and me. Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified (nailed to a wooden cross) where He suffered the cruel and terribly painful treatment of men who hated Him. Then God turned the middle of the day into total darkness for three hours when Jesus was punished by God for the sins of every person who would accept Him as their very own Saviour. We will never know how much He suffered, but we do know that because the holy Son of God bore the punishment for sin, you and I can be forgiven for our sins. Simply believe that He loves you so much that He died for you, bearing the punishment for your sins in His own body.
After Jesus gave up His life on the cross, He was buried in a rich man’s tomb, but on that first Easter morning, He rose from the dead! He is alive today in heaven and is even now sitting at the right hand of God. Someday soon He is going to come and take all those to heaven whose sins He has forgiven. He will be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords, and everyone will truly know who He is. How wonderful that the crucified One will also be the crowned One.
Will you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour today? He paid the terrible price to make your salvation possible. He loves you and wants you to live with Him in heaven forever.
ML-02/22/2015