Chestnut Ridge Church

It was on Golgotha, the place of the skull, that Jesus was crucified. But before His hands and feet were nailed to the cross, He endured unimaginable pain. For hours leading up to the cross and for six long hours nailed on it, Jesus endured shame and suffering in every imaginable way. Yet through His agony, Jesus exemplified His love for humanity, willingly enduring the cross to save a world of lost sinners, including you and me.

Barabbas’ story points to the idea that the Gospel is about a righteous Savior dying for guilty sinners—setting them free. Barabbas was a rebel and murderer. He was probably the next in line to be nailed to a cross, but because of a tradition related to the Passover festival, he was set free instead.

As I read through the text, I found myself looking for the emotions of those involved. When you search for the emotions, you question the hows, the whys, and the whats. How could Judas betray Jesus? Why did the disciples not understand what was going to happen to Jesus? What emotions did Jesus go through as He spent His last moments with His disciples, eating together, praying together, and ultimately being separated from one another?

We are commanded to love God with every piece of us—our hearts, our souls, and our minds. However, Jesus also commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, we aren't going to go to our neighbors and say the unloving things we say to ourselves. We must begin by loving ourselves just as Jesus loves us.

Pastor Tim continues our “Foretold” series by pointing out three Old Testament stories from Israel's time in the wilderness that lead us to Jesus and the cross. // Verses and message notes: www.theridge.church/notes // Join us live online or in person Sundays at 9a + 11a: www.theridge.church/live

During the last week of Jesus’ life, He returned to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. When He entered the temple complex, Jesus expected to see people praying, praising, and thanking God. Instead, He witnessed money changers and merchants exploiting and overcharging the people. And, because they set up shop in the Court of Gentiles, they made it useless as a place of prayer and worship for the Gentiles. Jesus was filled with such a wave of righteous anger that He overturned the tables and drove the money changers out.

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world. It was the hardest thing that He had to do and something He didn’t necessarily want to do, but He obeyed His Father. He took on the sins of the world by dying on a cross for every one of us.

The instructions God gave the Israelites during Passover were not to be followed alone; they included other people. This is how we are called to live once we have received the grace God has given us—together.

Pastor Tim brings us a powerful message centered around how the Passover story clearly points to Christ. Jesus is our Passover lamb. // Verses and message notes: www.theridge.church/notes // Join us live online or in person Sundays at 9a + 11a: www.theridge.church/live

For those of us who know the story well—we can miss out on just how shocking it is to see God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. My encouragement to you would be to read through some of the most familiar stories in the Bible with fresh eyes because when we don’t genuinely wrestle with God’s Word—when we don’t ask hard questions and wonder, “Why?” we will miss out on the fullness of what God has for us.

Pastor Tim joins us for another week of "Foretold," magnifying the significance of how the story of Abraham and Isaac foreshadowed God's willingness to sacrifice His Son, Jesus, on the cross for our sins. // Verses and message notes: www.theridge.church/notes // Join us live online or in person Sundays at 9a + 11a: www.theridge.church/live

Jesus' substitutionary atonement serves as the cornerstone of our faith, underscoring the depth of God's love and the unfathomable extent of His grace. It is a testament to His unwavering commitment to reconcile humanity to Himself, offering redemption and restoration to all who choose to accept it.

Continuing in our "Foretold" series, Student Ministry Director Andrew Archer teaches through Genesis 3, highlighting the story of Adam and Eve and the fall of man. From this story, we can see that God instituted an entire sacrificial system to temporarily atone for the sins of His people until Jesus Christ came as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. // Verses and message notes: www.theridge.church/notes // Join us live online or in person Sundays at 9a + 11a: www.theridge.church/live

Just like Legacy Marbles provide a visual reminder of the number of weeks you have left with your child before they graduate high school, what if we had a jar of marbles that represented our lives? Would we be more intentional with our time with God? Would we be out spreading His Word and love more than we are right at this moment?

Pastor Tim kicks off our new Easter series, "Foretold," focusing on some of the hidden messages of redemption found in Old Testament Bible stories. This week, he explores seven Old Testament references that prove God planned ahead of time to save us through His Son, Jesus. // Verses and message notes: www.theridge.church/notes // Join us live online or in person Sundays at 9a + 11a: www.theridge.church/live

It is easy to start an argument when you want to ensure your opinion is heard—but why? What do we gain by starting arguments? Do we really persuade other people to agree with us by voicing our opinions? Do we show other people the type of love that God wants us to convey?

Have you ever struggled to communicate with someone who has a different perspective than you do? Pastor Tim wraps up our "Truth Is" series by sharing five guiding principles to help us speak the truth with love. // Verses and message notes: www.theridge.church/notes // Join us live online or in person Sundays at 9a + 11a: www.theridge.church/live

Pause, slow down, and think about what you believe—about the world, yourself, humanity, and God. Ask yourself, “Why do I believe this?” “Where does this ‘truth’ I’m believing come from?” Then, with diligence and patience, relentlessly seek the truth.

How is your spiritual sight? Pastor Tim comes around the story of Paul and shares three resources that God has given us to see, know, and live the truth. // Verses and message notes: www.theridge.church/notes // Join us live online or in person Sundays at 9a + 11a: www.theridge.church/live

“Two Roads Diverged in a Wood” is from the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Just like in Robert Frost’s poem, we must pick from two paths in life, one leading to life and one leading to death.