Romans 5:12-6:5 Jesus the new Man.

Romans 5:12-6:5

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Today I’m going to teach you how to cheat death. But wait! There’s more: I’ll give you the secret to triumphant living. To living in victory over your sin. I’ll give you the secret to eternal life. And all this for only 99 999! (We need to buy a building.)

No! Actually, Jesus gives us all this – for FREE! Not death, but life. And triumphant living, victory over sin – in dying to ourselves, and being raised to life in Jesus.

See our problem is that we are in Adam. We are human beings. Human beings sin. Sinners die. Uh-oh.

We need to be remade. We need to reboot the human race. And that’s what Jesus does. He is the new Adam. In Him, we die to the old way of Adam, and are spiritually raised to life. He is the new Adam. We are human beings 2.0. We are the gloriously restored humanity – humanity as we were meant to be, but better, because in Christ we will be raised incorruptible, perfect, not in the image of Adam, but the image of Jesus Christ, the son of God. Amen.

Just two points today.

1. Adam brought sin and death

2. Jesus brings grace and life

1. Adam brought sin and death

12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

Sin entered the world. In the original Greek the first word in v12 is “therefore”. The Holy Spirit through Paul is coming back to and building on what has come before. Sin entered the world and we are all sinners. What’s the therefore there for? To remind us of what came before! Not 5:1-11 but chapters 1-4. I just want to spend a few minutes reminding us of what we have learned so far, because it all comes into focus in this passage.
Chapters 1 to 3: We are sinners, under God’s wrath. We see God’s wrath revealed in the world around us as He lets sinners sin. He gives us over, abandons us, to experience the sinfulness of sin. He gives us what we want, and that is terrifying (chapter 1). And chapter 2 says that following the law or being good is no help, because the law just shines a great big spotlight on our sin, and being good – well, it just reveals us as hypocrites, because the same things we criticise others for, we do. We all say lying is wrong, yet we all lie. Judged by our own judgement.

Do we see now why salvation must be by grace and cannot be through us? As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. (3:10).

And so we are made righteous by receiving the free gift of righteousness. We are given Jesus’ righteousness. In Christ we are reconciled to God because in Christ we are justified, redeemed, and propitiated.

This deals with the threefold problem we have with God.
1. We have broken his laws and are so declared guilty. As a righteous judge he must find us guilty.
2. We are slaves to sin. We can’t stop sinning, and are therefore cut off from God.
3. We are under God’s wrath. Because of our sin, which is saying to Him “I wish you were dead”, and seen in how horribly we treat each other, God is rightly angry with us.

So in Christ those problems are dealt with.

We are guilty, so God justifies us. God as judge says: righteous. It is a legal declaration. Under the law, we are righteous. No longer a spotlight on our sin, but now a spotlight on Jesus’ righteousness.

We are slaves to sin so God redeems us: God buys us from slavery to sin. Jesus paid the price on the Cross to buy us back. We now belong to God. Slaves of righteousness. We are twice bought. We belong to God because he made us, and belong to God because he bought us with his blood. So we are no longer slaves to sin, but servants of God.

We are under God’s wrath, so God propitiates us. God sacrifices himself. For the wages of sin is death because sin is rejecting God, and to reject God is to reject life and so we die. Instead, Jesus took our place as our substitute. In Christ we are no longer under God’s wrath because in Christ we died and so satisfied his right anger. There is now no condemnation, no anger for we who are in Christ.

In Christ we are justified, redeemed, propitiated. There is no further judgment over us. We are no longer slaves to sin. God is not angry with us anymore. We are reconciled to God, and we have peace with him. We live in the realm of grace.

Therefore.

12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

The Holy Spirit through Paul now ups the ante. He makes things much worse for the person who is still clinging to the delusion that he can make himself right, justify himself before God.

Because of the problem of original sin, even if we lived a perfect life, we would still be condemned. You see, we are “in Adam”. We have inherited his sin. He is our representative if Jesus is not.

How do we know that Adam is our representative? We die. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

“But” you might say “sin is breaking God’s law. There was no law to break before Moses, so how can you say they sinned?”

13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break.
14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did.

Death is the great evidence that we are sinners. No sin, no death. But we all die as proof that we are sinners. We grow old because we are sinners. We suffer because we are sinners. The only one who did not stay dead is Jesus. The resurrection is vital. If Jesus stayed dead, then he too was a sinner. But because death could not hold him, he proved his righteousness – a righteousness he gives to us. Because Jesus rose from the dead we – you and I – can be certain that in Christ, we are ALIVE!

The awkward phrasing in v13 is puzzling “But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break”. It’s puzzling because it’s something he’s going to address in chapter 7, so it’s just in seed form here, not really explained. There we read that we have died in Christ, and the law does not apply the dead people. You can’t say “hey, you disobeyed the law”. He’s dead!
So before the law came we couldn’t actively choose to disobey God’s law. God says “do this” and we choose to do the opposite. We can’t sin by breaking the law if there’s no law!

But, we still die! Even those who didn’t disobey the law still died. Why? Because they are in Adam. We all inherit his sinfulness. We are all condemned because he is our representative. So even apart from the law, we die.

So whether we actively rebel against God, or just passively go along “in Adam”, we’re in the same boat. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did.
You can’t argue before God that “I didn’t actively disobey you, so you have to accept me”. Even if we didn’t sin like Adam, we still have Adam’s DNA, his sinful nature. If you don’t believe me – wait until you have kids. Because I did not sit them down one night and say “Kristin, Kaleb, an essential life skill you need to learn is lying. So I’m going to teach you how to lie.”
It came naturally from them, from within.
I didn’t teach them to fight, and argue, or disobey me. That came from the nature within. Every single one of us confirms with our words, thoughts, actions and inactions that we are children of Adam. And so every one of us will rightly deteriorate and die.

Adam brought sin and death

2. Jesus brings grace and life

18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

V18 continues the sentence that was interrupted back in v12. Paul was going to contrast Adam and Jesus – directly, but then realised he needed to explain more. 12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned… v18 but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

That’s the contrast and the comparison. Because Jesus and Adam are both alike and different. They are alike in that both stand as our representatives. Both did one act which determined our destiny. Adam sinned and brought death, Jesus died in our place and brought life.

But they are also different. For Jesus is greater than Adam. The second Adam is greater than the first.

15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

Adam sins once, and condemns many. One to many. But the grace of God in Jesus Christ is that the many are swallowed up in the one act of grace. Imagine a jar full of marbles. It’s easy to smash that jar. One act. And many marbles . It’s easy to destroy, very difficult to restore.

So Jesus and Adam are similar in the one act affects many, but Jesus is so much greater because his one act fixes everything. Restores everything. V 16 continues: 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

Sin breeds sin. From Adam’s one sin the world was plunged into chaos. Just think of how quickly things escalated: their firstborn son, Cain, murdered his brother Abel. From one act of disobedience, “no I’ll decide thanks for myself”, and then there’s jealousy, envy, hatred, and then a man standing over his brother with a rock.
In Greek mythology we read of Pandora’s box. Pandora, the first women on earth was given a present of a box (or jar) by the god Zeus, and was warned not to open it. Of course, full of curiosity, she opens it – only to unleash all the horrors of evil and death on the world. She desperately tries to close the box, but can’t. How can you close Pandora’s box once it’s been opened?

Well, you can’t. But Jesus can. The Pandora’s box of sin has doomed the world. One act of Adam has destroyed us. But Jesus is greater. Because his one act gathered all the doom of man from all of time and space, even deep within us. Our sin, all of our sin, sins in our past, sins now, sins in our future, sins we’re not aware of, sins we are aware of and should have stopped doing but we keep choosing to do – even those sins Jesus gathered. His one act of righteousness on the Cross pulled all these sins, this Pandora’s box of doom. From all of time and space and he pulled it all down onto his body and put it to death with his own death. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah! Praise Jesus. Because in him our sins have been dealt with. They have been killed. We have died to sin and so now live for Christ.

In Jesus we are humans as we truly are meant to be. Renewed, the new man. A new start. A new humanity. Adam is dust to dust. Christ is death to life. Eternal life.

And the law is no threat to this. Oh yes, the law shines a spotlight on our sin and says “Out! Out! Condemned!”. But v20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.

Our sin is no threat to God. The greater our sin, the greater his grace. It’s like when I was growing up and arm-wrestling my Dad – the stronger I got the stronger he got! Or that’s how it seemed. He obviously wasn’t using his full strength when we were arm-wrestling. But the harder I pushed, he just was able to effortlessly match it. I could not overcome his strength.
Likewise our sin cannot overcome God’s grace. The greater our sin, the greater his grace. He effortlessly matches it. So v21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We can sum up the argument of this chapter like this: “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned, so righteousness entered the world by one man, and life through righteousness”

Or to put it very simply: In Adam we die. In Jesus we live!

Ok. But what does that mean for us then. How does that affect how we live. And so in these last few moments we’re going to let the Holy Spirit apply these truths to us through 6:1-5

Ro 6:1–5 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?

The first effect this being in Christ and not in Adam should have is: obedience. We are set free from sin. We are no longer in Adam. We don’t have to sin any longer. We can do what is right.

3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.

We are dead to sin, and alive in Christ. We have a new power in us.

You know we often get frustrated with our sin, but often it’s because we’re trying to fight sin in our own power. “C’mon, pull yourself together” “Do better” “You fool, you idiot” and so on. Berating ourselves, mentally beating ourselves up. This is not the way of the Christian.

Do we not believe that in Adam we are subject to sin that leads to death? And that we are powerless to stop it?

We cannot fight sin. But Jesus can. So we need to ask him for help. Jesus, I have sinned again. I can’t fight this, but you can. I believe in your grace, paid for on the cross, that means you will accept me. That means you hear my prayer. Help me to die to sin, and live for you, Lord!

We’ve had a few baptisms in this church, and they’re a great visual picture of this dynamic. We die to ourselves, and we live for Christ. We give up on ourselves, our own power, our own efforts, our self-reliance. We die as we go under the water, and we rise up to relying on Christ, on the Spirit’s power, on his one act that brings us all life.

Let us die to sin, and live for Christ. We are no longer in the old man, Adam, but in the new man, Jesus Christ. Let’s live like it. Amen.

Revelation 10-11 The indestructible church.

Revelation 10

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Revelation! The revelation given to John by Jesus, the Christ, the Risen One, the King of all Kings and Lord of all lords.

Revelation begins with a massive vision of Jesus as he is now. A mighty and frightening being, with 14 eyes like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

And he is the one who stands amongst us, his church. He holds us – as stars – in his hands! He is with us!

And he says to us: stand firm. Don’t give up.

Because it’s easy to lose heart isn’t it. When we look around we seem so unimpressive. So small. Just in Notodden there are 12000 people who need to hear the gospel. How can we make a difference?

Especially when so many think we’re fools. It’s laughable to believe such fairytales! You may as well believe in Winnie the Pooh!

And not to mention the peer pressure. Maybe from non Christian family members. C’mon, can’t you just leave it? They sigh and roll their eyes when you speak about Jesus. And so the temptation is just to keep quiet.
Or maybe pressure at work. Because you won’t lie. Or you are against abortion. Or you think it’s right to pay tax, or not rip off your customers. And certainly don’t think about talking about Jesus, or praying at work, or having a Bible study.

And then there’s the social anxiety that comes from being a Biblical Christian. Because we’re not exactly socially acceptable, are we? Especially when people paint us as homophobes and women-haters and old-fashioned weirdos. It’s not easy when “everyone” is against us, is it?

And that’s why we need today’s message! Because we need to see things as they truly are – with spiritual eyes, not just physical.

Because the truth is that each of us here are a miracle. If you are a Christian today you are proof of God’s power at work in the world. You are part of his indestructible church.

Two points today

1. The gospel is heard throughout the world

2. The church spreads the gospel in suffering and even martyrdom – and it’s indestructible.

1. The gospel is heard throughout the world

Re 10:10–11 So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

John is given a scroll from the mighty angel. The scroll is a message, a message of prophecy for the world, a message that is both bitter and sweet. It is the apostolic message about Jesus. That we are sinners, but in Christ we can be forgiven. And the message comes from Jesus himself. He is the mighty angel of v1-3.

Re 10:1–3 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. 2 And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. 3 And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered.

The Lion of Judah roars. The rainbow which was before God’s throne in 4:3 is over his head. The cloud surrounds him as it did when God appeared on Mount Sinai, in the desert, and on the mountain at Jesus’ transfiguration.

The Son of Man, the head of the church, is now called an “angel” which means, simply, messenger. He is the mighty messenger standing on the sea and on the land, and his voice echoes through the whole world.

If you think Jesus being called an angel is weird actually it’s nothing new. We meet Jesus in the Old Testament every time God appears in human form, when he is called the “Angel of the Lord”. We know this is God and not just an angel because when he meets Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Manoah, and Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego – they worship him and talk to him as God – something no angel would have allowed.

So the Angel of the Lord stands astride the world and his message goes out. It goes out through the apostle John. It goes out through countless men and women sharing their faith in word and deed. And we stand together with them, witnesses to the great gospel of Jesus. Witnesses to the great mystery of God now revealed.

Re 10:6–7 He (the angel) said, “There will be no more delay. 7 When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.”

It will be fulfilled. God’s people will be brought in. And the mystery is this: that sinners like us can be God’s people. That a holy God can accept sinners.

It is a bittersweet message. Bitter because we need to acknowledge our sin. Bitter because we deserve God’s judgement. Bitter because judgement day is coming.

We’ve already seen that bitterness in chapter 6, the seven seals, and chapter 9’s seven trumpet blasts. The bitter realisation that because of our sin, our rebellion against God, we live in a world at war with God. We are under his judgement. Jesus, the Lamb who was worthy to open the scroll of history has opened those seven seals which unleash judgement. Because we are sinners we are judged to experience the consequences of our sin. But not all the consequences – in fact Jesus allows only a third of what we should experience. Only enough to let us see sin as sin. Enough so that we understand that rebellion against God is foolish, and that we will seek him and repent. And the sweet taste of the gospel message is that all who come to him are accepted. Accepted because of what Jesus has done.

For it’s true isn’t it that the better our life gets the LESS we think about God. We don’t need him anymore. We don’t thank him. We pat ourselves on the back. Just look at Norway. The easier life has got, the more we get rid of God. We alright on our own, thanks for nothing God. While the rates of child abuse, divorce, mental illness, drug abuse, and so on just climb exponentially. We’re doing a great job!
Is God, in his mercy, allowing us to experience the consequences of our sin?

I was asked last week in England if Breivik’s brutal murder of 77 people changed Norwegians at all. That a true blue Norwegian, born and bred in the world’s best country, could do something so horrific! That should have woken us up. That should have made us take notice.
But I had to answer “No. We just ignored him. We said ‘this isn’t us, we’re not like that’ and spend millions building a huge prison so we could stick him there and ignore him”. No repentance. As 9:20 warns “But the[Norwegians] refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Judgement is coming. The seven thunders are set to rumble. Their words of judgement are as yet sealed up, but there will be a day, judgement day, when we will hear them thunder.

But now! Oh sweet message! We hear the roar of the Lion of Judah, Jesus the Messenger, who roars throughout the world, through his apostles, through us, to say judgement is not yet, the thunders are sealed up, there is still time to repent! And all who repent are accepted because this is God’s mystery now revealed: that Christ died for sinners.

The whole way through the Old Testament there’s been this tension, this question: how can a holy God forgive sinners? And the solution was the Messiah – but how he would solve this, we didn’t know. Until we saw Jesus on the cross, the sinless one swapping places with sinners like us. Through his blood our sins – past, present and future – are wiped away. Through his death we have been given life. Amen!

Remember brothers that we are saved by Christ’s work. So if you’re feeling down because of your sin – oh I failed again, I’m so weak. Yes, yes you are. That’s why Jesus came! Mercy. The bitterness is accepting that we are sinners. The sweet truth is that our sin has been dealt with in Christ. Your sin is already paid for, dealt with. So get up and serve him!

And that is the hope for our land. That’s why we can pray for Norway. Because there is a throne in heaven and it is not empty. God is on the throne, and Jesus is loudly making his appeal through us to all the world. There is grace to be found in him. So let’s share the gospel, his powerful gospel. Because we are God’s plan to reach the world. The unstoppable church!

The gospel is heard throughout the world.

2. The church spreads the gospel in suffering and even martyrdom – and it’s indestructible.

(Martyrdom is dying for your faith.)

11:4–5 These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die.

This chapter pulls together a bunch of Old Testament pictures into one. There’s dates from Daniel and promises from Zechariah and loads of other stuff but all making this point: the church is indestructible. Even when it is killed!

So let’s get into the detail. First, the witnesses are described as an olive tree and a lampstand. The olive tree was the symbol of Israel: God’s chosen people. The lampstand we know from chapter 1 is the church. So the witnesses are both the olive tree and the lampstand – oh, it’s God’s chosen people, the church! Jews and Gentiles together witnessing to the world about Jesus. Amen!

The picture of a witnessing olive tree and lampstand comes from Zecharaiah 4 where the lampstand has SEVEN lights and SEVEN lips on each light – ok, the message is really going to get out there! And the prophecy in Zechariah 4 is about rebuilding the Temple. Israel is smashed, weak, puny, the stragglers returning from exile. How are they going to rebuild the Temple, that meeting place between man and God? Zech 4:6 says “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts”.

And it was. The Temple was raised in 400BC. But that was only a partial fulfilment of the prophecy. It wasn’t until Pentecost when the church was born that this prophecy suddenly made sense. And just as Israel was weak but the Temple was rebuilt, we are weak but Jesus builds his church! We may be weak, but he is strong, and his word is powerful. Just look at verse 6: They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

Now this doesn’t feel like us does it? Flame and fire and blood and all this. What’s going on? Well, if you know your Bible you may recognise these miracles. Fire from heaven and shutting the sky is Elijah versus king Ahab, Jezebel, and the prophets of Baal. And rivers of blood and plagues – that’s Moses leading the people out of Egypt. And this is the point: the same power behind Moses and Elijah is with us when we share the gospel, when we preach, when we teach the Bible. Firepower is here!

So why am I so afraid?

He is with us.

But there’s more. Because it’s not just the power of the witness of the church, but the content of the message. Elijah is the great prophets, Moses the great lawgiver. “The law and the prophets” is shorthand for the Bible, God’s word. That’s why we preach, teach, study, love, his word. That’s why we must know this book, because it isn’t just a book but the Living Word of the Living God. You want to see miracles – real, long-term, life-changing miracles? Share the gospel. Teach the Bible. It’s awesome!

However, sometimes people don’t want to hear this message. Ever noticed that?

11:7 When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them.
10 All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.

People are celebrate and rejoice when the church dies because it is a nuisance! Because we always remind people that there is one on the throne - and it’s not them!

People celebrate because people are evil. We humans are evil. You and I are evil. And I mean evil not as bad or naughty but as a Biblical term. It means "rebels against God." We are not God-centred, but at our core self-centred.

Most people we know, especially here in Norway, do not appear to be evil. They are polite and kind and well behaved. But the truth is that it's just a facade, and behind that there is a heart that wants God to be gone.

And when the church dies either by becoming a social institution just repeating what society says - like here in Norway - or by killing people and wiping out the church - like in many other countries - when the church dies, people cheer. Finally. Finally, we can pretend to be God.

But the celebrations are short-lived. Just “three and a half days”. A symbolic number, half of 7, the "perfect" number, and only days. A short and very limited time.

11:11–12 But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. 12 Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.

According to v2 and 3 the church’s witness will go out for 42 months times 30 days, which is 1260 days, or three and a half years). In other words for a long, but not unlimited time. There will come a day – judgement day – when the church stops its witness, when the ground will shake, and the judge will return. We live now in those 3.5 years. The End Times.

For those of you who are interested, these numbers match the prophet Daniel, chapter 12: 6, which states that the power of the holy people will be broken after a time, times and half a time (3.5) - and then the end will come comes.

These end times are characterized by judgment and grace, by gospel progress and resistance, the struggle between the world and the church. The church is killed and the world rejoices. But the celebration is short-lived! For the church comes back to life. Again, and again we have seen this through history, even until today.

In Iran, they eradicated the church. It was forbidden to be Christian. The church was dead in Iran. But what do we see today? Millions of Christians in Iran!

In North Korea you will be killed if you are a Christian. But the church lives there.

In China, Christianity was banned. But the church is growing so rapidly in China that they are sending missionaries to Europe!

Time after time, the world has tried to kill Jesus' church but to no avail. It will stand because God's Spirit is in us! We are weak, yes, but he is strong!

My brothers, this is what we need to take away from today: we do not lose heart, no matter the cost. We are not be fooled by the "weakness" of the gospel and the church. We see with spiritual eyes. Satan shakes in fear when we gather together like this. The spiritual powers tremble when we read the Bible and pray. We change the world when we live out what we believe - when we really love each other like family. What a witness that is. And I want to thank you because I hear and see you doing that. I experience it myself. People know this church because of the way we love each other with the love of Christ. We care about each other. Let's keep on doing it!

And when we share the gospel. Wow! It's a power punch.

So with that in mind I want to leave us with a challenge as I read the last verses in Chapter 11: Think about who you know who needs to hear the message of Jesus, this amazing message of hope. Who can you ask "do you want to come to church" - or even better - because that is often a big and difficult step: ask them if you can read the Bible with them. And if we now think "Woah, I can’t do that, I'm too weak" - yes! We are. But with Jesus in us we can do it.

Time is running out. Two woes have sounded. The third approaches. We live in the end times. How close to the end are we? Perhaps today we will hear the seventh trumpet.

Re 11:14–19 The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly. 15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” 16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.” 19 Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.

Mark 14:53- 15:15 Rejected!

Mark 14:53- 15:15

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It’s night-time in an olive grove in early spring. The scent of budding flowers is in the air. There’s a full moon, its face shining brightly on the earth, creating strong contrasts of silver beams of lights and dark shadows under the branches of the trees.
And in the shadows we see twelve men huddling in fear. They are fugitives, on the run from the authorities – and they have just been betrayed.
They trusted Judas – he was their treasurer for goodness sake! And now he betrayed them.
They looked at their leader, Jesus, his face drawn with anxiety. They had never seen him like this. He brooded in silence.

Suddenly there was a shout – the soldiers had found them!

“RUN!” shouted Jesus. “Run for your lives”. The twelve men set off in different directions, fear etched on their faces. Jesus threw himself in a ditch, and began to crawl towards the safety of a nearby river.

But it was too late. There were too many soldiers. All too soon the men were rounded up, and their leader, Jesus, his face covered in dirt and leaves and debris, was hauled before the Captain of the Guard. He laughed as Jesus cowered before him, disbelief and fear etched on his face. A shameful end, for a failed prophet.

Or perhaps you’d prefer a the more Hollywood version!

As Jesus crawled away he heard the screams and cries of his friends, his followers, as they were tracked down by the soldiers, bound together, and taken away to judgement and punishment. A few tears escaped before his face grew hard with resolve. Next time, he would teach his men to fight. Next time, he would strike down the authorities. Next time, he will not be skulking away, but be victorious.

As the camera zooms on to Jesus face in close up, his dark eyes glittering with steely resolve. “I’ll be back!” he says, as “to be continued” flashes up on the screen.

If we had to guess or even write about what was going to happen, knowing 200 soldiers were coming to arrest 12 men, wouldn’t that be how we would picture it? If we were Jesus, isn’t that how we would react? Isn’t that what people think about Jesus – just another failed prophet, who accidentally got himself arrested and killed? Or some Che Guvara type leader, sticking up for the poor, rebelling against the authorities?

As we saw over the last two weeks, surprisingly, what actually happened is very, very different. This was no failed prophet, running from death. This is not the weak end to what could have been a lifetime of famous ministry. This is not a tragedy, but a victory!

This is the pinnacle of Jesus’ ministry. This is his crown jewel, the moment he has been working towards his whole life. This is when he will be revealed as the King above all Kings – as he destroys death and Satan, rescues humanity, and glorifies himself!

This is the high point of human history: the reason Jesus came was in order to die.
He came to be the Passover Lamb: sacrificed so that his blood would shield those who trust in Him from the Judgement to come.
He is the King, the one who is strong, the one who prays in deep anguish to avoid the cup of judgement - but faces it anyway. He drinks the cup, the cup which makes men stagger, down to the last poisonous drop.
We are weak, like the disciples, unable to pray, but instead to sleep, unable to stand with Jesus, but instead to be scattered: we are weak, and could not face the judgement to come. So Jesus, in his great love, faces it for us. That is propitiation. He absorbs the judgement, the wrath of God, and shields us from it, by his blood, by his broken body.

That is love.

Last week we saw that Jesus knows that we are weak. And still loves us. Our weakness, our failure is not something we have to try to hide from him. Christianity is not about pretending you’re better than you are!

Jesus is strong where we are weak.

If there’s one thing that stands out about Jesus in these moments leading up to the cross it is his strength. He stands firm while all about him fall. His resolve does not waver, his course is true. He is abandoned, rejected by all – but he stands strong. He does not abandon his Father. He does not reject God. And that gives hope to all of us who have rejected him, failed him, like Peter, like the religious leaders, and like the people.
No-one stood by Jesus. He stood utterly alone. He is rejected by the Jews (represented by the leading priests and high council), rejected by his own dearest friends (represented by Peter), and rejected by the Gentiles (non-Jews, that’s us, represented by Pilate).

1. Rejected by the Jews v55-65

They took Jesus to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law had gathered...55 the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any.

The trial is a sham (fake). It is highly irregular: they are meeting in the middle of the night instead of the day, and not in the Temple court but in the high priests house. It was a secret trial with hand-picked witnesses, and no-one around to dispute the lies the witnesses would tell.

But even then no evidence could be found! Even though they’d already decided the verdict - back in chapter 11:18 they had decided that Jesus must die and were plotting to kill him. This was no fair hearing, but a loaded gun pointed at Jesus’ head. But even then his innocence shone through

56 Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other. 57 Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’ ” 59 But even then they didn’t get their stories straight!

If this wasn’t so serious it would be like a comedy sketch! The bungling baddies, oafishly getting their stories wrong. The paid witnesses saying the opposite of each other! You can almost see little fight breaking out between them: “why’d you say that, you idiot, you were supposed to say….” You can almost imagine them getting cream pies out and hitting each other in the face with them. It is so utterly foolish.

So, even the high priest can now see that they’re getting nowhere. Even as a sham trial this is pretty thin. He’s probably beating his head against the wall in frustration – while Jesus stands there calm, resolute, quiet. Eventually in frustration he turns to Jesus v60 “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 61 But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

This is the real question, isn’t it. Are you really the one you claim to be? You can imagine everything going still. Everyone holding their breath. What would he answer? Would he finally give in? I mean, who would risk their life for a lie?

And then Jesus says 62 “I AM.” This was explosive. This was the name of God that he told Moses: I AM the I AM. And Jesus uses God’s name. You can imagine the high priests eyes widening first in horror, then in glee as they thought “we’ve got him”. And because the time is right, because it is now time for Jesus to make plain who he is, he continues: And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Blasphemy! BLASPHEMY!! You dishonour God! How dare you claim to be God! BLASPHEMY! Death!

But not once did they stop to consider maybe this is true. They did not listen to his words: I AM, the personal name of the God of Israel (Yahweh or Jehovah means I AM.
Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? Yahweh, says Jesus. I am.
And just to make sure they understand, he then claims to be the human figure in Daniel 7 who is given all authority in heaven and earth by the Father (the “Ancient of Days” in the prophecy).

Da 7:9–14 I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, 10 and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened. … 13 As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honour, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Jesus says “I am that person. I am the King of the eternal Kingdom”. He is the Messiah. He is God Almighty. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

But they miss it. Their sin blinds them to the truth, and drives them to murder their own king, their God.

We, too, are blinded by our sin. Without his grace we too would be shouting Crucify him! Blasphemer! Playing our religious games while murdering the Son of God.
Religion does not lead you to God, but away from God. Unless you know Jesus, religion is dangerous. Paul the Apostle was a very religious man, and loved God (or so he thought) – but that love expressed itself in murdering Christians until the day that Jesus met him and turned his life around.
Unless you know Jesus, religion is dangerous, poisonous, futile, and hellish.

65 Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.

Why did Jesus suddenly openly proclaim his divinity (that he is God, the Son of God), the Son of Man in power, and that he is the Messiah? Up to now he has always refused to proclaim this publically, always told demons to be quiet, and those whom he has healed not to tell anyone. Why now?

Because now, chained, arrested, beaten, abandoned, there is no misunderstanding what type of Messiah he is. He is the suffering servant of Isaiah. He is the conquering King as well, but it is a spiritual conquest, not a political. Jesus can openly claim to be the Messiah because now no-one will want to force him to be the political king. He is arrested, weak, with no followers. Who’d want this fellow to be king?
Now there is no risk to his mission being compromised – he came to die, and he will achieve it. Now it is unstoppable, and so he can reveal himself because no-one will believe it. In fact, revealing who he is will achieve his goals!

64 You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!”

So the Jews, the very people of God, with the religion of God, the word of God, the rituals of God, the Law of God – reject God.

And even Jesus’ closest friends reject him.

2. Rejected by his own

66 Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by 67 and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway.

Earlier on that same evening Peter had boldly claimed that he was ready to “die for Jesus”. And maybe he had convinced himself that he could still do it. Although he ran away when Jesus was arrested, he then went back and v55 says that he followed Jesus right in to the courtyard. “I’ll do it this time”

Really, Peter? You’ll stand for Jesus this time – despite the fact that, unlike Jesus, he had not prayed for strength, but fallen asleep. And despite the fact that Jesus had already told him that he would fall.

He did not believe Jesus. He thought he was fine by himself. How often is that us? Or our friends, or family members, or work colleagues?

We don’t want to hear the uncomfortable truths. We don’t want to hear that we are sinners who sin. That there is a God, and we are not him! That God is angry with us and will judge us and condemn us to hell if continue to rebel against him. That shame covers us. We have dishonoured our King. Lalalala we say with our hands over our ears, trying to block it out. The problem is, is that it is true. And reliable, true, truth. There is no escape.

Jesus said a few hours before: v30 “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

A servant girl questions him v67 “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” One.

V69 She began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” 70 But Peter denied it again. Two.

“You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.” 71 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” Three.

And he broke down and wept.

There is no escape. We are weak. We reject Jesus in our own strength and condemn ourselves to hell.

This morning I showed this piece of junk - sorry, I mean “modern art”. This is a mess, a bunch of meaningless scribbles, worthless trash. Yet someone paid $52 000 000 for it! Kr440 000 000. And that is what it is now worth.

You see, although it has no intrinsic value – it’s crap – it has been given value by the purchaser. Someone has said that mess of scribbles is valuable to me.

And that is what Jesus does with us. Maybe our life looks like that. That’s probably how Peter was feeling when that rooster crowed. Like he’d just scribbled over his life. Wrecked it. But later we find Peter boldly preaching “Believe in Jesus, he is the Messiah, the Lord”. What happened? Jesus met him, after he rose from the dead. He found Peter and gave him a new value. No longer worthless, but of infinite value.

And you and I are the same. If we are in Christ, our value is his body and his blood. You may look like scribbles on a page, but in Christ you are a world-class work of art!

We are weak. We deny our King. Jesus was rejected by his own.
But He is strong.
Praise Him that he knows our weakness, and is able to cover over our failure with his blood. Peter, after meeting with Jesus after his resurrection, became the head of the church, its first evangelist and missionary. Jesus knows our weakness, yet still loves us.

Rejected by the Jews, rejected by his own disciples, and

3. Rejected by the Gentiles

Because the Jews were under Roman occupation, they had no authority to put someone to death. So they needed Pilate to find Jesus guilty in order to sentence him to death. Unfortunately “blasphemy” was not punishable under Roman law – so they accuse Jesus of being the King, and therefore rebelling against the true ruler: the Emperor of Rome! Ironic, isn’t it. 2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

Jesus then makes no further defence, says no further words – to Pilate’s amazement. He just says “yes, I am the King” 3 Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, 4 and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” 5 But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.

The Jewish leaders should have understood. This is exactly what the prophet Isaiah said. Again Jesus fulfils Scripture: Isaiah 53:7 says “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth”.

Even though he makes no defence, even Pilate is not fooled. Just as in the first trial, Jesus’ innocence shines through: 10 (For he [Pilate] realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

But Pilate is a crowd-pleaser, amoral, with no fear of God. He was not a good man, forced into a bad situation. He was a bad judge who condemned a man he knew was innocent to a brutal and disgusting death. He rejected the King, he rejected God, he even rejected his own conscience. 15 So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Jesus was rejected by the chief priests and the Jewish nation, rejected by his closest friends, rejected by the whole world. He stood alone, bearing the weight of our cruelty, our injustice, our sin upon his shoulders. And that’s why he came. This is the cup he came to drink. This is why he died for us. To take our cruelty and injustice and sin – and to conquer it, so that he can say to us, like Peter, come with me, you are restored.

What about you? What will you do with Jesus?

The story of Easter: the Death of God and the gift of Eternal life.

MP3 link

The meal was over. Jesus looked with love at his disciples, his companions, his friends. “Brothers, it is time,” he said. “The hour has come.”

Then he looked at Judas and said: “Do what you must.”

Judas, troubled, got up abruptly from the table, and fled out into the night towards the Temple.

Then Jesus rose from the table, and asked the eleven to follow him. They went up to a grove just outside Jerusalem called the Mount of Olives, and there Jesus asked them to wait for him and keep him company as he prayed, for he was deeply troubled in spirit.

In the grove Jesus knelt to pray. It was a dark night, the moon pale and faded. The shadows were dark and foreboding. The trees were gnarled and knotted, and seemed somehow to be grasping at the frightened and confused band of disciples. An evil presence filled the grove.

Jesus looked up towards heaven, his face a picture of agony, and cried out “Father!”

The cry of anguish echoed in the night sky.

“Is there another way?”

There was silence.

Then he bowed his head and whispered “Your will be done”, as the soldiers emerged from the shadows to arrest him.

Jesus stood up to meet the traitor Judas and the soldiers who followed him.

“Are you Jesus of Nazareth?” shouted the captain of the guard.

“I am,” said Jesus.

As he said this, the soldiers and all those with them fell backward, struck by the power inherent in this solitary man.

Encouraged, Peter lunged with his sword at one of the men closest to him and cut off his ear.
I can imagine a cheer rising up in the heavenly realms amongst the angels, as they stood poised to strike down the enemy! The Host of Heaven rising up with one voice “For the Lamb!”. And then they hear Jesus, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, the Lion of Judah, rebuke Peter. “Put away your sword!”

There would be no rescue tonight. Because this is God’s great plan of salvation. Jesus was led away, chained, alone.

Why?

Well, Jesus had explained this time and time again in the months and years before his arrest. Because he looks upon us with compassion, he told us about the stain of sin that grips the heart of every human.

“All men have turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there are none who do good, not even one.”

He said this to the Jews, God Holy people. People shifted uncomfortably, recognising the quote from the 14th Psalm. But surely Jesus was not implicating them? This was not what they were accustomed to hearing in the marketplace or the synagogue!

Then Jesus spoke again “The Pharisees tell you to perform ceremonial washing rituals in order to make yourself clean before God. But I tell you that it is not what is outside a man that makes him unclean, but what is inside a man.”

The crowd began to murmur and stir restlessly.

“Indeed, it is what comes out of the heart of man that defiles him. For from within, out of your heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

There was silence, as each stood and pondered the words of Jesus. What he was saying was true! And if even they as God’s people were not safe from judgement, then who is?

“Repent and believe in the one that he sent!” said Jesus!

And then he continued, warning about the reality of Hell - separation from God. There will come a time when God will give people what they want! For we say to him “I do not want you”.
And that is Hell. We are cut off forever from God, the source of all light, all happiness, all joy.
So Jesus warned of the terrors of hell – but at the same time told them the way out “trust in me, follow me and you will live!” He held out the hope of redemption, in hands that would soon be pierced to pay the cost of that redemption.

And that is why he was lead away. That is why he said to Peter “put away your sword”. Because every one of us is facing Hell. Every one of us is in deep, deep trouble, and none of us can save ourselves because what makes us unclean comes from within. Our sin comes from within us, and condemns us to death.

And the only way to save us is to swap places with us. It is to die our death in our place, so that we can live, and then remake us from the inside out. So that is what Jesus did. That is why Jesus died. That is why he came. For you and for me.

First he appeared before the Pharisee council, then before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The trials were full of false accusations, fake witnesses, lies, deceit and cowardice.
Yet, amidst all this, Jesus’ innocence shone out all the brighter - so much so that even the Roman governor declared “This man has done nothing wrong.”

But the priests, the leaders of Israel, those who should have been saying “there is the Messiah”, instead shouted “Crucify him!” And the crowd followed their lead. “Crucify him”! And Pilate bowed to their will, instead of to the truth, and condemned Jesus to death.

Pilate had him whipped to the point of death. Then beaten and torn, Jesus was forced to carry the cross from the Roman palace to the place of execution. There he was stripped naked, and strapped to the cross - the shorn lamb awaiting the sacrifice.

Then the Roman soldier picked up a hammer and some nails. He grabbed Jesus’ arm, held the nail in place, and lifted the hammer.

Bang!

The nails pierced His skin, and He cried out in agony.

Then the soldier nailed his other arm to the cross, and then his feet.

There was no respite from the pain - and then with a shout and a heave, the cross was lifted into the air. Jesus’ tendons in his arms and feet began to tear as they took the full weight of his broken body. And as the cross of wood slammed into the ground He shuddered and shook. “Father, forgive them” He cried out as He paid the price so that He could forgive them.

And the sky grew dark, and the sun gave no light.

Creation mourned, and God the Father turned His head.

For a brief moment, the Universe stood still....

And then all of the sins from all of the people in all of time – all who were and who are and who will be covered by the blood of the Innocent One – all their sins, all our sins, were poured out on one concentrated spot: the Lamb Himself on the Cross of Death.

A dreadful cry was heard of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” as Jesus felt the unbearable pain of facing the wrath of God. His body trembled and shook. Then he prayed: “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit”, the prayer of the innocent dying for the guilty. And then raising himself up he took a deep breath and shouted “It is FINISHED!”. His body slumped down. And he was dead.

God the Father looked towards the Temple and tore down the curtain of the Most Holy Place, the symbol of the barrier between God and Man. The barrier was broken! The way to God was open. In Jesus we have access to God.

But at what a cost! The Lamb - the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, the King of Israel, Jesus, the Christ... was dead.

Creation mourned, the skies were black, and the sun was dead. The curtain was torn, but the Lamb was gone. Heaven waited for a sign from the Father....

But none was given.

Dusk was approaching. The women wept as Jesus’ broken body was taken down from the Cross. He was wrapped in linen cloths and laid gently in a tomb. A great stone was rolled in front of the tomb, and a guard of four placed outside the door.

The stars came out. The night was quiet. And the tomb was empty, but for the corpse of Jesus.

The Lamb’s broken body lay sadly on the floor: a testament to sin. A testament to a world in rebellion. And a testament to the love and mercy of the Father, who would slay the Lamb to rescue the many... even us here today.

The tomb was cold and devoid of life. The body of the Lamb lay alone.

His body lay broken, and the sun rose. Saturday dawned. Sabbath. A holy day. But Israel had killed their Messiah.

His body lay pierced, and dusk encroached on the day and consumed it.

His body lay fallen, and the second day passed away in silence.

The Lamb was dead.

Yet we know that death is a result of sin. And we know, too, that Jesus had never sinned. How could death hold him?

The King is dead. Long live the King. Is what they shout when a king dies, and the new king is crowned. But in Jesus’ case, it really was The King is dead, long live the King. For death could not hold him. Death had no right to hold him. And so Jesus broke the bonds of death. We pick up the story in John 20.

Jn 20:1–18 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home. 11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” 16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). 17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” 30 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

Death is gone! He was defeated. And the Lamb, Jesus, is alive! As if a star had fallen to the earth and was burning with joy! His great work was finished.

I can imagine on that Easter Sunday the whole of Heaven exploding into a chorus of praise and joy: The Lamb, the Son of God, the Master - He was alive! How would the angels celebrate? Speeding through the heavens in great joy, weaving their way through the galaxies and the stars and planets and moons. Blurs of clean light, weaving an intricate tapestry of praise to our Lord.

Don’t you want to join in? Don’t you want to feel the power of God, the joy of Heaven flowing through you? He is alive! He is alive! I want to praise Him with my whole body, with my whole life!

One day we will see him face to face. He is alive. One day we will see him and dance a cosmic dance of joy like the angles danced on that first Easter Sunday so many years ago. We will speed through the heavens, past cosmic wonders, our bodies leaving a trail of pure delight, dancing to the praise of the Lamb. And even those of us who can’t dance will dance! And above all, we will hear the pure rich laughter of the Father, a laughter that speaks of a holy joy, a laughter that makes all who hear it giddy with delight. His laughter rings out through the Universe, making every atom tingle, every star burn brighter, every galaxy turn faster out of sheer joy. The Lamb is alive! Death is defeated! Creation will be restored. Satan is defeated, and his plague will be destroyed. Hope is won!
Praise God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! Praise Him for His grace and power and wisdom and love. He is worthy of the praise of all Creation!

Praise Him!

So let’s do it. Let’s praise him with everything we are right here and right now. If you don’t know him – get to know him. Say God, I need to know you. If you do know him, live for him. Delight in him. Let he be your joy and heartbeat. Love him! Do everything for him. He is our all in all. He is our great delight! He is our joy! He is all, for he was dead, he died for us, he died to make us whole, to restore us, to bring us into relationship with him. And today he rose again from the dead. Today he lives! And we live for him. Amen.

Mark 8:34-38 Jesus lives and you die…and LIVE!

Mark 8:34-38

MP3 Link

Jesus.

Swear word. A great moral teacher. A threat to State security. A fairy tale. A myth. The Living God in the flesh. Messiah.

He is a divisive figure. Someone who 2000 years after his birth, death and resurrection continues to dominate world events. But who was he? Or perhaps who is he?

As we’ve read through the first eight chapters of Mark’s gospel we’ve seen an amazing man doing amazing things. A man with awesome power, truly terrifying power. We see the demons, evil spirits, trembling before him, so afraid. We see even his own disciples, dearly loved friends, terrified after he speaks to a storm and it obeys him. Who is this man? They wonder. Jesus is to be feared.

We see that Jesus has authority – authority over the spirit world, authority over Creation – the wind obeys him, the water obeys him; even death obeys him, sickness flees at a word from him. Only God has this kind of power.
Only God is feared by the evil spirits. They would not fear an angel – they too are angels, fallen angels. But their Creator? Yes. They fall down at his feet screaming in terror “What do you want with us Jesus, Son of God.”
Only God can command creation to obey him.
Only God has power over death.
Only God can forgive sins. All this Jesus does. And very significantly, he does this in no-one else’s name. He does not call on God the Father, he does not cry out O Great Jehovah, he does not say “in the name of… “.
We do. We pray in the name of Jesus. We cast out demons in the name of Jesus. We pray for the sick in the name of Jesus. It is the name of Jesus that has power. No other name. He is God Almighty, and that’s why it is right that the glory goes to him.

Mark’s gospel opens with these words: 1:1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus is the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek) which means the Promised Rescuer. He is the one promised in the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible, the one who will rescue us all from sin and death. Christ is not his surname but his job description. Jesus: saviour of the world!

And in 8:29 Jesus asks his disciples: “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”

Who is Jesus? He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Rescuer. He is our Saviour and our God.
He is the one who should be feared, the one with great authority, great power because he is Almighty God, holy and perfect.
But he has come not to judge us, not to condemn us, but to save us. He is Messiah, Rescuer. But what does that mean? How is he going to save us? And what do we have to do? What does it mean to follow him? That’s the message of chapter 8-16.

1. Jesus’ death brings life

Peter has just made the good confession “You are the Christ!”. Yes! But then things go very wrong. Jesus starts saying the most outrageous stuff! 8:31–33 (NLT) Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. 33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Peter had a different plan for Jesus, and probably, himself, as one of Jesus’ closest followers. Peter saw glory and honour – a victory procession into Jerusalem, Jesus the victorious King, riding into Jerusalem after beating the Romans, Israel’s oppressor, and setting Israel free. That’s the Messiah he thought was coming.

But his point of view was too low, too human. God’s view is high and lifted up! Yes, there will be a victory procession: Jesus, beaten and bloodied, carrying his cross through the streets of Jerusalem as people jeer at him, spit on him, mock him. There will be a great battle: Jesus on the cross, refusing to give in to the temptation to “Come down from the cross, that we may see and believe” “Ha he saved others, but he can’t save himself” “Save yourself, “Messiah””. No. His love keeps him there, until he can give up his life with a loud cry, and descends into the darkness of Hell itself in order to defeat Hell, defeat sin, and defeat death itself: the great enemies not just of Israel, but of the whole world!
Lift up your eyes, Peter, and see the great vision! Yes, I will suffer and be killed – but in three days will rise again. My death and resurrection will bring new life to all people throughout the world, through all time and space- this is what the Temple is about, the sacrifices all point to my sacrifice, the meeting place between God and man. This is what Moses looked forward to, what David was promised, what Abraham was promised. This is it! Lift up your eyes Peter.

This is so important Jesus says it three times. As we’ve just read in 8:31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. then again in 9:31 (NLT) He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.”

And again in Mk 10:33–34 (NLT) 33 “Listen,” he said, “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 and hand him over to the Romans. 34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”

Many people, like the disciples, do not understand Jesus’ words here. Many who call themselves Christians try and explain away the cross – or even deny it. Some feel sorry for Jesus. But this is the heart of the Gospel. This is where we see God’s awesome love. This is how God can forgive sinners – by bearing the cost himself. This is love: that Jesus lays down his life for us who believe in him.

In Halifax, Canada, in 1917, a ship carrying high explosives was on fire and about to explode in the harbour. 2000 people died in the explosion – but the death toll could have easily been much higher. Because the train station was right next to the harbour, and passenger trains carrying hundreds of people were coming in, unaware of the danger. Vince Coleman, a train dispatcher, had started to flee – but, remembering those trains, turned back, stayed at his post and began broadcasting messages to stop the trains coming into the city. His last words (via Morse code) were "Hold up the train. Munitions ship on fire in the harbour and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Goodbye boys." He was killed in the explosion, but saved hundreds and hundreds of people. He gave his life so that hundreds of others might live.

Jesus’ death on the cross was no mistake, no misstep by a popular teacher who made too many enemies and suddenly got trapped by them. No, this was the deliberate purpose of God, the great rescue plan made before the creation of the world, to showcase his glory, his love, his compassion, his power. This is Jesus plain teaching. What a glorious God we serve! Praise him!

Jesus’ death brings us life.

So then, what does it mean to follow this great Saviour, our Rescuer, our God, our King? It means we must die.

2. Our death brings life: we must die to ourselves to truly live

Jesus uses shocking language here. We’re kind of used to it, so we miss the impact this would have had: 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Crucifixion was the worst punishment the Romans could dish out. It was reserved for enemies of the Roman state and for the worst criminals. No Roman citizen could be crucified, it was that bad. Follow him on that path? The path of rejection, humiliation, even death?

Well, if you want to be a follower of Jesus, that is what you must do. It’s choosing to follow Jesus, wherever that path may lead. For some of disciples it led literally to crucifixion. They were called upon to die for Jesus, to be crucified for him. But that’s not just what it means – it doesn’t mean we all have to get on a physical cross. No. look at verse 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

We are called to “lose” our life – not on nothing, but for Jesus’ sake. In other words, live our life as if it belongs to Jesus, and not to us. To make friends for Jesus. To work for Jesus. To serve our families for Jesus. To use our money for Jesus. We’ll talk more in the next weeks about what it means to live for Jesus.
Note that he says take up your cross.. daily. It’s not doing one big act of sacrifice and then you’re done with it. It is every day living not for yourself and yur glory, but living for Jesus. It is 10,000 little sacrifices, a lifetime of often unnoticed loving acts, which cumulatively become huge – for Jesus. It’s not just big acts – it’s all the little moments which mark you out as a follower of Jesus. And if you are faithful in the little, you will be faithful in the big. Living every moment as a son or daughter of God.
Because that’s the only way to live! “This day, choose life” said Moses, the prophet of God, to the people in Deut 30:19. Jesus, the true Prophet, the better Prophet, the better Moses leading the better Exodus (rescue) is saying: “Choose life!”.

Why? Because to live any other way leads to death. Even if, by ignoring Jesus, you could gain the whole world, what a waste because you lose your very soul. V36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? Steve Jobs was on top of the world. He’d rebuilt Apple into the biggest and most successful company in the world. But he died. And he died rejecting Jesus. What a fool, says Jesus. Do you think he can offer Apple stock to God? He owns the Universe! For what can a man give in return for his soul?

Only Jesus can save us. Only his blood is sufficient to be a perfect sacrifice. Only Jesus is enough. Nothing else will work.

You know, it’s a tragedy when people die for the wrong reason. I remember one of my classmates got high on drugs, got into his car, sped down the highway with no seatbelt on, and smashed into a tree. Dead. What a foolish way to die.
I remember reading about a man trying to impress his friends with a chainsaw, said “Ha, watch this!” and swung it at his own head. Obviously, he died. What a tragedy.
To die for the wrong thing is a tragic. It’s foolish. And Jesus says the only wise thing to die for, is him. Everything else is foolishness.

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels

Let your life reflect your devotion to Jesus. If you have been rescued by him, let your joy shine through. Christians should be talking about Jesus, excited about Jesus, waiting for Jesus’ return, praying to Jesus, preaching about Jesus, teaching about Jesus, telling their children about Jesus, giving their money for Jesus, giving their time for Jesus, making friends for Jesus, choosing where they will live and work for Jesus. Our lives should be one big advert proclaiming JESUS! I am saved by his grace. Put your puny ambitions to death, your foolish plans for you life to death, and follow Jesus on the road to humiliation, to death, and to eternal GLORY, eternal life.

Because if you don’t, if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. Even if you gained the whole world, what benefit is that if you lose your soul? How many of the rich and famous feel empty, lost and alone. How many artists, actors, top sportsmen confess to reaching the top to find nothing there except anxiety – worry about the next person who’s going to come and take the crown from you. What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

There is only one way to save your soul, your very life – and that is to give it up to Jesus. We were designed, created to obey God. Our reason for existing is to glorify God. That is our purpose.

Following Jesus is both the easiest and hardest thing to do. Easiest because everything is done! He died for us, he rescued us, he brought us new life, his Spirit is given to us to live a new life, and he will take us to Paradise. And nothing we do can separate us from that, because it is guaranteed, underwritten, by his blood.
But it’s the hardest thing because we have to give up pretending to be God. We have to acknowledge our dependence on him. We have to obey him, to live life as HE wants, not as we want. That’s hard, and that’s why Jesus describes it as taking up your cross – that’s dying! 9:35 Give up your life for my sake. We must nail our old life, our selfish ambitions, our foolish desire for self-determination (that’s deciding for ourselves) – nail it to the cross! Say I am dead. Jesus lives instead. I am his. Imagine if all of us really started living like that. Let it start tonight. Make a decision to die to self, and live for Jesus. Because if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And if you don’t the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

The Jews, the disciples, wanted a political saviour to swoop in and rescue them – but they misunderstood the problem. The problem is not circumstances, but deep in our heart. Jesus did not come to rescue them (or us) from physical oppression, but spiritual oppression. They saw the burden of Rome, but not the burden of sin! Jesus came in order to rescue us from our sin, taking the punishment upon himself, the warrior King, fighting by dying, the suffering servant upon the cross, faithful to the end.

The rescue is available to everyone, but the cost is a change of allegiance – instead of the kingdom of ME, you know belong to the kingdom of God. Instead of you pretending to control your life, you know bow to Jesus and let him control your life. You die to self and live for Christ. You are not your own, you belong to him.

But that’s worth it, because he is the life-giver. In Jesus, and him alone real, joyful, free, life is found; eternal life. And he can guarantee it because he is the Creator God, maker of heaven and earth, vast in his glory and majesty – yet so full of love and compassion that he becomes as nothing, the servant king, willing to suffer and die in order to rescue a people for himself. If you belong to Jesus, bear his name with joy and gratitude, and live for him, no matter what the cost.

Pray – think about where you have denied the Lordship of Christ. What area of life do you consider your own? What area of life are you dissatisfied with, not trusting his Lordship?

Perhaps need to give you life to him.

Life! The New Creation

Revelation 20:7-21:8

MP3 link here

Two weeks ago I was in the car on the way home from Kongsberg – and I was sitting in a long traffic jam – an hour and a half. Now that was an everyday thing in Cape Town, even in Oslo - but in Notodden?
That traffic jam meant something. It meant that something had gone very wrong. And as I finally reached Notodden I saw the reason why: a truck with a damaged front on the left side of the road… and on the right - a car smashed up really badly, front end collapsed. The car had drifted over into the wrong lane and collided head-on with a truck. The driver of the car was killed.

Death sucks. Whether it’s sudden like a car accident, or “expected” after a long life - death is always brutal. And we feel it. It’s a strange thing really. Death is a natural part of things. It’s the circle of life, and all that. But we hate it, we rebel against it.

Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, wrote these words:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Is that all there is? Is that what is left to us? To simply shake our fist at death, at hopelessness, to rage against the dying of our light until we snuffed out like a candle burned down to the end?

Actually, yes. That is all there is. Without Christ.

Death is just one of the reminders that something is wrong with the universe that we live in. We rebel against something so natural because for us it feels anything but natural. We fight it with anti-aging products and Artificial Intelligence and Freezing our bodies and anything we can to desperately push back against death. We rage against the dying of the night because we feel – no we KNOW that night should not fall.

And we are right. We were created to life forever. We are eternal creatures, all of us. We have the spark of the divine, you and me, every human being who was ever conceived in their mother’s womb (or in a test tube) – we are eternal creatures.

But we are in a war. We are at war.

1. We are at war

Rev 20:7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city.

The picture here is of a battle. Satan released in order to gather the nations – all the peoples of the world, in a war against God and his people. And this picture of war is one that is used throughout the Bible.

See, we like to think of God as an old kindly man in the sky, long beard, slightly senile – just sort of smiling down on us and going tut tut when bad things happen. Maybe wringing his hands and saying oh dear.

But the Bible’s picture of God – the way God has revealed himself – is something entirely different. He is a warrior, a fighter. He is not smiling kindly down on us, because we are at war with him. He’s more Rambo than Old Man. Armed to the teeth rather than losing his teeth!

We are at war with God. Now rightly enough it was we who declared war on him. We want to decide for ourselves how our life will go. We want to decide what is right and what is wrong. We want to be God in our own lives. In effect, we want him to be dead. Nietzsche even said, defiantly, that God is dead. It appears, however, that Nietzsche is dead. And God is still very much alive.

But that is the cry of the human heart. No God. We are at war.

What is it like to live in a war zone? We’ve heard the stories from the Ukraine, from Syria. I remember my friend 20 years ago telling me stories from Sarajevo as the former Yugoslavia broke up in war.

Life takes on a different flavour. You become kind of numb to the destruction around you. You go to sleep and are surprised when you wake up. You walk outside and see that where your neighbour’s house stood – now there’s just a big hole. The house blown apart by artillery fire. You walk to the shops, hoping that today there’ll be some food there – that someone will have got through the blockade with supplies. Life is a struggle, death around every corner. You barely flinch anymore when you hear the bzzt – thunk of bullets whizzing overhead. You scrounge for food, for water, anything to keep you alive. When you hear the boom-boom of the artillery guns you run for cover, and hunker down, just trying to survive.

And that, for a while, becomes normal life. That’s the way things are. You know there’s a different way to live, but it was so long ago when you lived in freedom, in gladness.

That is what we are like. The entire human race. We live in a spiritual war zone. Some of us have given up and say this is the way things are. Some of us have a sense of that which could be. That which we were made for. We have a longing in our heart for a world that we have never seen. A world without death, without sin, without evil. A world where we belong.

We long for a world at peace with God. But how?

Well, what do you do if you’re in a war you can’t win?
You surrender. You raise the white flag, send your envoys (messengers, diplomat), and ask for mercy.

The problem is, we don’t want to. We are the ones who started the war. And we still think we can win it!

But just look at v9. It’s one of my favourite verses. Because the build-up is for some epic Lord of the Rings style battle. V8 the mighty army from every nation numberless. You can see them roaring their victory cry, banging their weapons against their shields “here we come God, we’re coming for you!”. And then… nothing. No epic battle. No charge of glory. No once more into the breach men. This seemingly great and powerful army is not at all a threat to God. Our rebellion is nothing, a mere inconvenience, an annoyance. V9 But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. And then everyone was thrown into the lake of fire. Like you brush a bug off your shoulders.

We cannot win this war. Our rebellion is a joke. But because we’re locked into sin – that is wanting to be God – we cannot surrender, we will not surrender. But we cannot win. We’re fighting an unwinnable battle. Things will just get worse and worse. So what do we do? Well, because WE wouldn’t send an envoy of peace, God, in his mercy, sent HIS envoy of peace.

Dear friends, this is why the gospel means good news. Momentous, huge, good news.

2. God’s has sent an envoy of peace

21:5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

The one on the throne, God, says that he is making all things new. He says it is finished! He says whoever is thirsty can receive freely the water of life, and then that anyone victorious – those who overcome will inherit the blessing – the blessing of being with him. Not at war, but as children, part of the family. Closer you cannot get.

This is what Jesus did. These are his words, his actions. He was the envoy of peace from God to us: his own Son. We heard John 3:16 last week, those famous words that God loved the world so much he sent his only son… not to judge the world, but to save it.
Every Christmas we read the story of Jesus’ birth (Juleevangeliet). What do the angels announce to the shepherds in the fields: Glory to God in the Highest and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. (Luke 2:14) Jesus’ birth announces peace, announces a way out of war, a way to be made right with God, a way to regain the reality that we lost when we went to war with God.

It is finished because the cost of making peace has been paid, not by us, but by God himself. Peace costs. Peace comes at a price. War crimes need to be judged. Restitution needs to be paid. Someone needs to answer for the evil that was done.
Those words “It is finished” are the words Jesus cried out on the cross, as Jesus gave his own life so that he could bring peace. He paid the crimes of war – our war, in order to bring the war to an end. It is like the captain falling on a grenade to save his men. Or more like the enemy soldier rushing forward and falling on the grenade to save his enemies. Who would do this? Only God. Only God has love even for his enemies. He paid the cost.

A few weeks ago we read the story of the siege of Jerusalem in Isaiah 36. The great and powerful Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem. But they didn’t attack. No. They sent envoys – representatives, diplomats – to see if they could negotiate a surrender without a fight. “Surrender now, and we’ll look after you. No one can save you. Don’t fight. Don’t throw away your lives on a lost cause, a battle you cannot win.”

Jesus is God’s envoy, and it is his message today: don’t throw away your lives on a lost cause, on a battle you cannot win. Surrender to me. Seek peace. I will look after you.

And unlike human beings, when God makes a promise to look after us if we surrender to him, he means it. He really does look after his people. There is not hidden agenda, no trick, no bait and switch, no small print.

God has sent an envoy of peace, Jesus, to us, his enemies. And to those who accept, those who surrender their lives to him, he promises a new life, a new hope, yes, a new creation. Look, I am making everything new He says in verse 5. And he’s not joking.

3. The New Creation

21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”

This is a picture of eternal life. Not sitting around on clouds strumming harps – good grief that sounds deathly boring. But it is a fantastic place to live. A city buzzing with life, with vitality. It is life at its best! And God will be there, amongst us. We will see our saviour’s face – face-to-face. No more sin, no more suffering. No car accidents. No dementia or cancer or war or theft or terrorism or worries about life. No tears or crying or pain. All gone forever. Everything is renewed.

It is this world, this universe, rebooted, restarted, restored, redeemed. This was just the cover and the title page. The new creation is Chapter One of the Great Neverending story, where every chapter is better than the last.
This is the shadowlands – that is the real country. The Real Country our heart longs for. The real country we were made for.

Revelation continues like this, describing the heavenly city of the new creation 21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. 22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honour into the city.

It is life with God, in his presence, in his holiness, without fear, for we have been made holy. This is a gift, what Christ has done. There is no-one in heaven who will say “this is what I have done” or “I did it my way”. No. This is what God has done. All glory to Him.

He is the Light, the sun and the moon. And the best of this world will be in the new creation. All the good things that are and have ever been and will ever be in this world – the best things of this world: they will be there - but better. Perfect. From every nation, every tribe, every people group and culture – the best of us will be there and it will all be giving glory to God.

And as we look around us we will see – ah, that which we loved so dearly here on earth we loved because it was a shadow, a picture, a reflection of the real thing here in the New Creation.

This is the hope of Christianity. A preacher called Mark Driscoll put it like this “For non-Christians this life is the best it will ever be. For those saved by Christ’s mercy, this life is the worst it will ever be.”

There is a great secure hope. The world we were made for. Jesus has come to bring this message: THE WAR HAS ENDED! Amnesty for all. Freedom for all.

Let me end by using a picture of the gospel. Here we are – people. And we have declared war on God. That is sin. We have turned our back on God. We have made a huge distance between us and God – so big that we cannot cross, even if we wanted to.
Here is God – the new creation. This is what we were made for, what our heart longs for. When we catch a glimpse of the shadow of heaven, of God, our hearts long for it. This is what we were made for. And he is a God of mercy, so instead of just blotting us out like we deserve – he sends his envoy, his messenger, his own Son, Jesus, to bridge the gap.

Now, where are you on this picture?

You may be here saying. Yes, I am a sinner. I’ve made a mess of things. I surrender.
You might be thinking “But I’m a good person” And you might be. Maybe that’s why you’re here this morning. There was a good man called Cornelius and the Bible says “his good deeds have come up before God” – so God sent Peter to him to share the gospel. Your good deeds might be the reason you are here this morning. God has had mercy on you by bringing you here so that you can hear the gospel and respond to it. Your good deeds are not enough. You alone cannot make peace with God.

Or maybe you have surrendered your life to Jesus. You may be filled with joy and excitement. I am! What a future. And you know what. That future is now. We already know God. He is with us every step of the way. The Spirit is with us. He looks after us. He keeps us secure in Christ. What blessings now! But then! Oh then! Face to face. Come Lord Jesus, Come!

Death, the Final Enemy

1 Cor 15

Death. We have a funny relationship with death. It’s a natural part of life. Everybody dies. Nature is based on death. Yet we fear and hate death.

Why?

It will happen to all of us, without fail. Statistically speaking: living is the most dangerous thing you can do: 100% of people who are alive, die! It is the circle of life.

It is natural, it is inevitable, but it feels unnatural, it feels like a curse, and we hate it.

But why do we die? Why do we fear death?

1. We die because we are sinners

God says through His Word, the Bible, that we die because we are sinners. Romans 6:23 : For the wages of sin is death.

Death is our just reward for being sinners. If you are a sinner, you die. Alright then, I’ll just stop being a sinner, I’ll clean up my act, wash my face, brush my teeth, put on my Sunday best, and be nice.

That’s what many of us think, isn’t it, when we come face to face with the reality of death. And the problem of sin. But we have got it totally wrong. “Being a good person” – that’s not Christianity. That’s humanism or Hinduism or even Islam. Humanism: Act well, and then you will live a good life and live on in people’s hearts; Hinduism: act well and then you will be reincarnated higher up the spiritual chain; Islam: act well and follow the Five Pillars and then God will have mercy on you. You see, none of those work because the problem is not sins – what we do; but sin – what we are. We need to be fundamentally changed from the inside out. And that’s what Christianity is about. You see, if you get the problem wrong, you’ll get the solution wrong. So let’s stop here and ask “What is sin?” Because all of us will have very different ideas of what sin is. But what does God say sin is?

Sin is not naughtiness, or like the adverts like to use it “oh, that’s sinful”. Sin is not primarily what we do or say or think, either. Those are sins: wrong behaviour, wrong thought, wrong words – but they themselves are not the root cause. The root cause is sin: the fundamental distance between us and God. It is a broken relationship. It is a rebellion against our creator. We have taken God’s moral laws and broken them into pieces. We have covered ourselves in shame by our thoughts, words and actions.

To illustrate: here we are, here is God, and here is the gulf of sin, cutting us off from him. There is life, eternal life. Here is death, eternal death.

Now you might not think you’re a sinner. You might be a very good person. I know some of you, and I know that you are very good people. Most Norwegians are.

But that’s not sin. Sin is that state of our heart, your inner being, towards God. Jesus Christ summed up all of God’s law like this “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind”. Oh dear. Sin is not naughtiness. It is our relationship to God. It is our attitude to God.

There were three men who got married. The first man beat his wife, wasted their money, and never gave her anything. The second man tried to give his wife a good home and generally provided what she needed – but he totally ignored her. He never even spoke to her. The third man loved to make grand romantic gestures for his wife. He would do all the right things – but he never once asked her what she wanted or needed – all the romantic gestures were for his sake, not hers. None of the men actually loved their wives. None of the men were good husbands.

And that’s kind of like how we are towards God. None of us want to listen to God. We all want to do things our way. Some of us are the first husband: we rant and rave and trash our lives. We’re the “bad” ones, the ones we see on the news.
Many of us are like the second husband: we kind of muddle along doing the best we can, trying to do what is right and making excuses for ourselves when we get it wrong (I was tired, I had a headache, that person was so annoying) – but we totally ignore God. And some of us are like the third husband: the religious people who try to win God over by their actions, by performing good works.

But none of us are listening to God. We’re all doing things our way. Even the religious people are insulting God because they’re not listening to him. He says you cannot please me with good works, you must humble yourself and come through my Son – and they ignore him and try to impress him with good works.

Outright evil, doing our best, pious religion. All useless.

How do we know that none of these ways of living work? Because we all die. Death shows us that we are sinners. It reveals that none of our little schemes to beat God or please God actually work. And that is why we fear and hate death. We don’t even want to talk about death because it pulls the wool off our eyes and makes us face reality. Nothing I do is good enough. I cannot be right with God. I will die. And I will die forever.

Death is our enemy, and we cannot defeat it. We have tried. And we have failed.

One day I will die. One day you will die. And the verdict stamped on our life is “sinner”. On this side of the canyon.

But that is why it is so important to face up to the reality of death. No one achieved anything by hiding their head in the sand and pretending there is no problem. If you’re standing in the street and the garbage truck comes around the corner, closing your eyes and saying there is no truck, lalala, I won’t think about the truck, lalaaa, let me distract myself with thoughts of pleasure: ah a nice hike in the mountain- urk!

So well done for being brave enough to come this morning. It takes great courage to face up to your fears. And for many of you it took great courage to come to a church in case we were a bunch of wierdos... J

So, the problem we’ve got is death. And death is caused by sin. So if we can deal with sin, we deal with death. Beat sin and we beat death. But we already know that sin is a state of being. We are sinners – we can’t suddenly turn that off. It’s like a cat wanting to become a dog. We are sinners. It is our nature. And so we will die.

So how can we beat death? Well, like every good adventure story we need someone to swoop in at the right time and rescue us. Indiana Jones with his whip. Tarzan swinging in. Your “one true love” appearing in a coffee shop at just the right time. We need a rescuer, and that rescuer is Jesus Christ.

We die because we are sinners - but

2. Christ died for our sins and so defeated death

Ok. V3 says I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.

Hooray. All done. Right, give your life to Christ, and then let’s have tea and cake.

Woah, woah, woah, you might say – not so fast. I’m not just going to leap in and change my whole life to follow this Jesus fellow! What if it’s a pile of nonsense? I mean, even the guy who wrote this thing here says in v17 “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.”

And that’s absolutely right. There is no room for blind faith when we are dealing with matters of life and death. There is no room for blind faith in “science” just as there is no room to have blind faith in “God” or “Jesus”. To live for Jesus, to obey Jesus, to give your whole life over to him if he did not rise from the dead – well that’s foolishness indeed. Because if he did not rise from the dead then nothing he said was true and then we’re a bunch of idiots wasting our time here in church! That’s why I really cannot understand people who don’t believe in the resurrection but still want to call themselves Christians. Why would you do that? Your life is based on what you believe to be a lie. It’s utterly bizarre. Worse still are those who are ministers yet do not believe. Why would you give your whole career over to something you don’t believe in? As it says here in v19 if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world!

And pity them I do. Because they do not know Jesus, and therefore they are still dead in their sins, and all their religion counts for nothing. Because they’re depending on themselves, on their own performance – instead of what Christ has done. You see – back to this illustration: only Christ and his death on the cross can deal with sins and therefore bridge the gap. Only Christ. Nothing else. All other religions, all our good works, fall short. And what happens when the rope is too short to get to the other side? You fall.

I pity them because they are building a bridge that will fall, trusting themselves instead of the completed, secure, perfect work of Christ. I mean why try and rebuild the bridge when he’s already done it?

For if they looked into the evidence for the resurrection, their lives would be transformed from dead religion to a living relationship.

Evidence. Particularly 2 sources of evidence, and you can see them there in v3-8: the scriptures and eyewitnesses. 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him

The Scriptures he’s talking about are the prophets who prophesied what the Christ would do (just by the way, Christ isn’t Jesus’ surname, but his title. It means rescuer, anointed one, or King and is the same word as Messiah).
There are many prophecies, between 100 and 300, depending on how you count them, and some are extremely specific. Psalm 22, for example, has by itself 11 specific prophecies that were fulfilled when Jesus was crucified. The Psalm was written by King David of Israel about 1000 years before Jesus was born. He wrote it because he was under such extreme pressure from his enemies that he felt like he was going to die – but the way he described what he was going through was so strange. People thought nothing of it until Jesus’ death on the cross - and they realised that this Psalm written 1000 years previously described exactly what happened to Jesus on the cross. 11 different events which happened exactly as written. And that’s just one of many prophecies. Too many to just be coincidence or someone trying to twist the facts to make them fit. But don’t just take my word for it, go read it yourself. Investigate. People have battered away at the resurrection since the day it happened – and after two thousand years of battering the evidence still holds up. So fulfilment of prophecies is one huge body of evidence.

The other big piece of evidence is the eyewitnesses – those people who saw Jesus die, then saw him raised to life again. Many of them literally did not believe their eyes. I mean, would you? Just like you and I, they were not gullible people, and they knew that when someone dies they stay dead. But there was Jesus standing in front of them. He was not a ghost – he was flesh and blood. He ate with them, talked with them, touched them. It was Jesus since he bore the wounds of his crucifixion: scars on his hands and feet where the nails were driven in, a gash in his side where the sword pierced him through to his heart. They could not find any other way to explain it away. It really was true. Jesus has defeated death. Our great enemy has been conquered. He really was dead. And now he really is alive again.

And we, too, have the same evidence. We can examine the prophecies and compare them to the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We can read the eye-witness accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of what Jesus did and said and how he rose from the dead. And we can see how his follower’s lives were changed, and see how they gave their lives to tell others about the good news: death is defeated. Christ has won!

But what if they were lying – making up this story? Well, that could be a possibility except there was no upside, no advantage for them. I mean, we lie only if it is for our own good. We never tell a lie to put ourselves in a worse position. And proclaiming the gospel got them nothing except hardship, suffering, persecution and a brutal death. There was no reason for them to tell this story – no power, no riches, no fame, no glory – except for the fact that it was true. Jesus defeated death. And so the way they lived their lives after the resurrection showed they believed it to be true. They were totally unafraid, even willing to die brutal deaths in order to get the truth out. Our sins are dealt with. Death is defeated. Christ has won.

We die because we are sinners – but Christ has dealt with our sins and so defeated death. And so

3. If we belong to Jesus, we do not fear death!

51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we die we sleep until we are raised to life again on the last day, judgement day. And our bodies will be made new, ready for the new creation, the perfect world – no sin, no pain, no mourning, no death – only life. So through Christ we can say “Where O death, is your victory”. Death is defeated. Death has lost. We have been given the victory over death because on the cross Jesus took our sins upon himself. There he swapped places with us – he took our sin, and gave us his perfection.

Let me illustrate: if this Bible was my sin, this is me, and the light is God – sin blocks my relationship with him. I cannot get to God. This is what Jesus does – he takes my sin upon himself – and now I am in the light while he goes through the darkness of death for me.

In Christ, death is defeated. And we do not fear death!
But be warned: that is only for those who belong to Jesus. If you are His, if you follow Him, if He is your Lord and Saviour and all of your life belongs to Him – then do not fear death. You have eternal life, won for you by Him on the cross, your sins have been wiped away, He has swapped places with you.

But if you do not belong to Jesus, if you have never come before him and said please save me, please let me follow you, please take all of me, all my sin, and give me eternal life, not because I deserve it but because of your great mercy. If you have not done that.... then fear death. Fear it! For death is a terrible thing, and you will face it alone.

There are only two ways to live. Fear death, or come to Christ.