The Touch of The Master's Hand

Just a Thought

"If sin is not bitter, then Jesus is not sweet."

Christ is risen!

Christ, the Lord, is risen today,  

Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say,

Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, 

Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply,  

Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, 

Alleluia!

Christ hath burst the gates of hell, 

Alleluia!

Death in vain forbids Him rise,

Alleluia!

Christ hath opened paradise.

Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King,

Alleluia!

Where, O death, is now thy sting? 

Alleluia!

Once He died our souls to save, 

Alleluia!

Where thy victory, O grave?

Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, 

Alleluia!

Following our exalted Head,

Alleluia!

Made like Him, like Him we rise, 

Alleluia!

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

Alleluia!

Hail the Lord of earth and Heaven,

Alleluia!

Praise to Thee by both be given,

Alleluia!

Thee we greet triumphant now,

Alleluia!

Hail, our Resurrection, Thou!

Alleluia!

 May you have a joyful Resurrection Sunday!

I joy to call Thee mine!

O sacred Head, now wounded,

With grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded

With thorns, Thine only crown;

O sacred Head, what glory,

What Bliss till now was Thine!

Yet, though despised and gory,

I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered

Was all for sinner’s gain:

Mine, mine was the transgression,

But Thine the deadly pain;

Lo, here I fall, my Saviour!

‘Tis I deserve Thy place;

Look on me with Thy favour,

Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow

To thank Thee, dearest Friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow,

Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever,

And should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never

Outlive my love to Thee.

Luke 23:33-46
33  And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
35  And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
36  And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
37  And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
38  And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39  And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40  But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41  And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42  And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
44  And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
45  And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
46  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Praise the Lord that the story doesn't end there!  But praise the Lord for Calvary, too.  The place where He took our sins.  The Sinless One made sin for us.  The Eternal, Immortal One, laid down His life.  The Almighty One limited Himself.  

Because He loved us.

My song is Love unknown

My song is love unknown,

My Saviour’s love to me,

Love to the loveless shown,

That they might lovely be.

Oh who am I,

   that for my sake

   my Lord should take

Frail flesh and die?

Sometimes they strew His way,
And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King:
Then ‘Crucify!’

   is all their breath,
   and for His death

They thirst and cry.

Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight,
Sweet injuries! 

   Yet all His deeds

   their hatred feeds;

They ’gainst Him rise.

In life, no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say?

   Heav’n was His home;
   but mine the tomb

Wherein He lay.

Here may I stay and sing,
No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King!
Never was grief like Thine.
You are my Friend,

   and in Your praise

   I all my days

Would gladly spend.

The Price that He paid

Luke 23:33a  And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him.

John 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.



I'm glad it doesn't end there.  Praise the Lord for that!


Matthew 28:5-6
5  And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

1 Corinthians 15
1  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5  And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7  After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8  And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9  For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11  Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
12  Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13  But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15  Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
29  Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
30  And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
33  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
35  But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36  Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37  And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38  But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39  All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40  There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.


On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Psa 98:1  A Psalm. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

Psa 98:2  The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

Psa 98:3  He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Psa 98:4  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Psa 98:5  Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

Psa 98:6  With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

Psa 98:7  Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psa 98:8  Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

Psa 98:9  Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.