Prayer Time at The Joy of Jesus Holy Week

Praise God for whom all blessings flow,
Blessed is the name of the Lord.

We praise god for Christ Jesus and all that was done at Calvary.

You shed your blood on the cross for our sins.

Christ Jesus forgave all to the end.

Lord, we pray for the Holy Spirit to touch us now Jesus.

We Glory in your Love and Joy in Your Name....

Calvary You and The Joy of Jesus Church

Are the difficulties of life so demanding that there seems to be something missing? Our lives have become so intricate that even the worlds fastest computers are challenged. The question as to where life's journey will lead is still clear in the life of the believer: Calvary.

The entire notion of a place that determines one perspective on life itself is surreal at best. Carvery is a place where the cruelest act of society was inflicted on The Son of God. Blood was shed, torture, pain and agony unto death was experienced. But why?

The answer is somewhat simple. Sin. Jesus suffered the weight of all the sins of the world. We are all sinners saved by the grace that took place at Calvary. We owe a great deal of gratitude to God, Christ Jesus,and The Holy Spirit to remember the absolute faith that was demonstrated by God in His Son

Calvary ,you and I have a lot in common. We must have complete faith in God that our sins were washed clean at Calvary. We must trust that God's plan for eternal life is fulfilled at Calvary. We submit to god in faith, we thank God for His grace, and we praise God for His love. The Joy of Jesus is our salvation. Calvary is where you and I place our faith in Christ Jesus return.

Prayer: We Pray in The Full Glory of God in Christ Jesus for The idea of the meaning of Calvary to burn in our hearts,minds and soul, forever. In Jesus Name we pray....

With all my Soul,

Rev. Dr. James A. Lee

The Joy of Jesus Church Crucifixion

John 19
Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified
1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.
4Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

7The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

8When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

12From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.
"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

15But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

16Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:|sci JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

22Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

23When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."[a] So this is what the soldiers did.

25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus
28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"[b] 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."[c]

The Burial of Jesus
38Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[d] 40Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.


Footnotes:
a.John 19:24 Psalm 22:18
b.John 19:36 Exodus 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psalm 34:20
c.John 19:37 Zech. 12:10
d.John 19:39 Greek a hundred litrai (about 34 kilograms)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

The Joy of Jesus Church. Holy Week/The Arrest

John 18
Jesus Arrested
1When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.
2Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"

5"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.

"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.

7Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?"
And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

8"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."[a]

10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)

11Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

Jesus Taken to Annas
12Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.
Peter's First Denial
15Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, 16but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
17"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter.
He replied, "I am not."

18It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus
19Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."

22When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded.

23"If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" 24Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.[b]

Peter's Second and Third Denials
25As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?"
He denied it, saying, "I am not."
26One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?" 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Jesus Before Pilate
28Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."

31Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."

"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. 32This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

34"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

35"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

38"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. 39But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"

40They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.


Footnotes:
a.John 18:9 John 6:39
b.John 18:24 Or (Now Annas had sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.)

Essay: In The Garden by, The Rev. Dr. James A. Lee

Do you love gardens or gardening? There is something about gardens that bring a particular sense of nature directly into ones life. The color, smell and shapes that plants and flowers give to the essence of love it-self. Jesus went to the garden and experience a lot more than the ambiance of flowers.

Jesus went to the garden at night to pray. He went alone, but asked that his disciples to wait and be prayerful and alert..

Jesus prayed so hard and was in such agony that He sweat blood. The weight of the burden of mankind was awesome. Jesus was tempted in the garden as well.

Yet god's will was the order of the night and Jesus submitted to the will of God. We too must pray and submit to god all of our sins in Christ Jesus.

Yes the garden can be a wonderful experience with nature. However, what Jesus did on the cross can never be forgotten in the life of the believer. god raised Jesus from the grave and Jesus will return to Earth with all power humor and glory.

The garden is a place to submit to the will of God. We go to the garden in prayer. Unlike the disciples who fell asleep. We must do as Jesus said," pray and be alert.' You know not the time nor the hour when Jesus will enter our garden. I pray that we are indeed ready.

Praise God for Song The Joy of Jeus Church

I Come To The Garden Alone Hymn
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

Refrain

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Refrain

The Joy of Jesus Church marks Holy Week

Jesus prays while the *disciples sleep
We have seen that Jesus had many difficulties to deal with at this time. Both he and the *disciples were probably very tired by the time of the last supper [that is, Jesus' last meal with his *disciples]. We see this when we read about the behaviour of the *disciples in Gethsemane. They were actually very tired. They had no more energy at all. Jesus fell down on the ground and prayed. He was suffering very much. He really desired his friends to stay awake with him at this time. It was the hardest time for him. But the *disciples could not stay awake. They slept on the ground.

Jesus had done so much more than they had done. He was probably even more tired than them. But his hardest time of all was still to come.

Jesus suffers greatly
Jesus suffered very much in Gethsemane (Mark 14:50, Luke 22:54-62). Luke tells us that *drops of blood fell from Jesus' body. This was a crisis for Jesus. Jesus had always obeyed God his Father. And Jesus still wanted to obey God. But now this meant the *cross with its great pain and shame.

But, for Jesus, the *cross was not merely a place of pain and death. Jesus was perfect; he never *sinned. But on the *cross, Jesus would have to take, on himself, the *sin of the world. He would have wanted to avoid this especially, but he could not. Here is his prayer:

Matthew 26:39 'My Father, if it is possible, do not let this happen. However, I want to do the things that you desire. I choose not to do the things that I desire.'

But there was no other way. The *cross was the only way that God could forgive our *sin. Jesus was the only one who could pay for all our *sin. Only Jesus could give us the power to live like him.

Judas kisses Jesus
After he had prayed, Jesus knew what must happen. Calmly Jesus walked out so that the soldiers could arrest him. Judas had arrived, with soldiers and priests. Judas went to Jesus and kissed him. Jesus refused to let his friends fight for him. Instead, he allowed his enemies to take him.

The *disciples were very afraid. They left Jesus and ran away. Only Peter and John tried to stay near Jesus. And only John would be present at the *crucifixion.

Prayer: Dear God in Heaven, Christ Jesus The Son and The Power of The Holy Spirit, We pray for all things in Christ Jesus.

We pray for all people to do The Will of God.

We pray that people will give to The Joy of Jesus.

We Praise Gos for Holy Week.
In Jesus Name...

By The Rev. Dr. James A. Lee