Saturday in Sheol!

For Saturday, April 19, 2025:

John 19:28a NLT: “Jesus knew that his mission was now finished.”

With the sins of the world now heaped upon him, Jesus knew that his earthly mission was completed. It was time to move on. He would take the world’s sins to Sheol, the place of the dead. But he would not remain there. He would be resurrected on the third day!

The concept of resurrection was still fairly new to the Hebrew people. In fact, some Jews didn’t believe in any life after this life. Those who believed that it was possible recalled Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus, both restored by the command of Jesus. But Jesus himself was a public figure, well known by everyone. His death was documented by Roman soldiers, whose business was death. Jesus returning from the dead would be eyewitness evidence that death was not the end! Theology would be rewritten!

Returning on the third day fulfills prophecy. Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Saturday was the Sabbath when no work could be done. Best to lay low that day. And on Sunday, he rose again!

Friends, there is life after this life! Jesus proved it, and believers all want to be a part of it. Jesus will go ahead to prepare your place in eternity. Use his name when you get there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Third Day!

For Sunday, September 10, 2023:

Romans 8:15b NLT: “You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’”

The Holy Family is one we desire, one we want to be a part of. God also desires a relationship with us, his created beings, and his spirit joining with our spirit brings Gods plan to fruition.

This is Sunday, the third day, the day Jesus rose from the tomb. He conquered sin and death with the same glorious event, and we are the beneficiaries! This is the day believers gather to worship the Father, his Son and the Holy Spirit. In most praise settings we can learn more about Jesus today. Never bypass an opportunity to worship the Lord Almighty!

See you at church!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Father's Plan!

For Saturday, June 24, 2023:

Matthew 20:18-19 NLT: “Listen,” Jesus said to the 12, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to Gentiles, to the Romans, to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

Jesus was both fully God and fully human. I find it interesting how Jesus (God) can speak of Jesus (man) as if he was another person. In this scripture, Jesus (God) is predicting the horror to befall the Son of Man, a name Jesus called himself. His pronouns are he and him.

Jesus, in addition to being mankind’s savior, was also functioning as a prophet. He knew what the future days would bring. He knew the persecution coming his way, ultimately resulting in death. He also knew that he would overcome death, rising on the third day. So in the end, everything would turn out OK!

God’s plan was for Jesus to take mankind’s sin problem upon himself, take that sin to the grave, and leave the believers suitable to spend eternity in the presence of the Father. We call it “The Great Exchange.” This is the best gift ever!

Sunday’s coming. On the third day, the tomb will open and Jesus will walk away from it all, just as his Father planned!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Sabbath!

For Saturday, April 8, 2023:

Mark 15:42 NLT: “Jesus’ crucifixion happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath.”

In Hebrew tradition, any part of a day is counted as a day. So Jesus was crucified and died on a Friday, day one. The body was placed in a tomb owned by Joseph of Aramathea. Today, day two, Saturday, was the Jewish Sabbath when no work could be done. So Jesus’ body remained in the tomb until the next day, day three, Sunday. That’s when the women came to anoint the body with burial spices, and found it missing. Turns out that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would! That’s likely why Christians worship on Sunday, celebrating the day of our Lord’s resurrection!

Even after his death, Jesus’ predictions were coming to fruition. He DID rise on the third day, and after that hundreds of people saw him up, walking around, speaking and teaching. Those people were all eyewitnesses. They saw what happened with their own two eyes! Truly there is life after this life. Truly Jesus was the Son of God!

God’s timing was perfect, just as we would expect!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Victorious!

For Friday, January 28, 2022

1 Cor. 15:20 NLT: “In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.”

Mankind had two very large problems: sin and death. Jesus solved both problems through his death and resurrection.

We know that Jesus took the sins of the world to the grave in the great exchange. He covered himself in our sins, and clothed believers in garments of white, pure and clean, prepared to enter the presence of God.

And on the third day, Jesus was resurrected, raised from the dead, no longer in the grave. Paul reports that over 500 believers can attest to this fact. Our ‘take-away’ from this is knowing that there can be life after this life – Jesus proved it! Knowing that death is not the end gives us hope.

If you too want to conquer sin and death, Jesus is the answer!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Sabbath - Day of Rest!

For Saturday, April 3, 2021

Luke 23:53-54 NLT: “Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.”

And that’s where we find ourselves today, the traditional Jewish Sabbath. No work was to be done on the Sabbath, which is why Jesus’ body was secured just before sundown on Friday. His friends would not perform the rest of the burial ritual until Sunday, because Saturday was a day of rest. God said so.

Even though access to the tomb was blocked by both a giant stone and several Roman soldiers, Sunday found the stone cast aside and the body absent. Turns out that Jesus’ word was good! He rose from the grave on the third day, just as he predicted! Death could not hold him, and that’s Good News for us too!

Don’t constrain God by assigning human limitations – God is much bigger than that!

Blessings and safety to all today! Happy Easter!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406