A Verse for Easter: The Gospel in One Verse

If you could pick one verse that captures the significance of Easter, which one would you turn to? Might I suggest 1 Peter 3:18. Here, Peter packs into one little verse the treasure trove of our salvation that Jesus won for us in his cross and resurrection. Let’s consider it.

 

For Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God, by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18. My translation).

 

What Peter says here is essentially this: Jesus died and rose from the dead to bring his people into eternal life with God.

Let’s just consider this marvelous verse a piece at a time.

 

Christ suffered for sins once and for all…
First, consider the main action: Christ suffered for sins once and for all…

Jesus’ suffering for sins on the cross was final. No other death for sins is needed. This tells us something of sin. Sin must be punished with death. The wages of sin is death.

Why was Jesus’ death for sins so final? Because Jesus was perfectly righteous.

 

the righteous for the unrighteous…
Second, notice the next phrase which explains this: Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous…

Jesus was sinless, perfectly righteous, perfectly obedient to his heavenly Father. No sin in his nature, no sin in his heart, no sin in his hand. Perfect. If he is sinless, then why must he suffer for sins? Because his suffering was substitutionary. He was the perfect sacrifice for sins. He the righteous suffered on behalf of the unrighteous. Well if Jesus is the righteous one, who are the unrighteous? You and me.

What was the purpose of this substitutionary death? To brings us to God.

 

in order that he might bring us to God…
Third, consider the next phrase which points to this purpose: Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God…

Peter could have described Jesus’ purpose of the cross in a myriad of ways and yet he captures it like this: Jesus suffered for the unrighteous on the cross for the purpose of bringing us to God. This tells us something about God and our dilemma. If Jesus had to die for our unrighteousness in order for us to even be brought into God’s presence, then unrighteousness, unholiness, must not exist or be able to exist in God’s presence. This is because God is perfectly holy. God is perfectly righteous. This, here, is our dilemma. Our unrighteousness, our unholiness separated us from God. This tells us a little bit more about what Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished. If Jesus died to bring us into the righteous, holy God’s presence, then that must mean that he not only eliminated our unrighteousness, but he also gave us his righteousness. Jesus died, for the dual purpose of eliminating our unrighteousness and making us righteous for the ultimate purpose of bringing us back to God.

 This final purpose unveils our purpose. If Jesus died in order to bring us to God, then we were made to be with and enjoy him. This is the greatest good for us. Alternatively, the worst place we can find ourselves is separated from him. But Jesus in his death brings us back to the greatest good for our souls, the most joyful place for you and me. He brings us back into the presence of and into relationship with our Creator God.

How can we be sure that this is ours in Jesus? Because Jesus rose from the dead.

 

by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit.
Fourth, consider the last phrase which fills out what it meant for Jesus to suffer while also describing the manner in which Jesus accomplished this bringing us to God: by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit.

Jesus’ suffering once for sins, as alluded to, was his death on the cross. But, he did not remain dead. Jesus dying on the cross is one half of how he brings us to God. Jesus broke the power of death through his righteousness and by the power of the Spirit, he rose to new life. Thus, the resurrected Jesus is our living guarantee that if we are in him, we too will be raised to eternal life even though we die in the flesh.

 

A Verse for Easter
So here then is the gospel in one verse: Jesus died and rose from the dead in order to bring his people into eternal life with God.

This is what Jesus did for you and me on Easter.

Mountaintops and Valleys

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight (Acts 1:6–9).

 

I think we can all relate to the disciples. Here in Acts 1:6–9, we see that the disciples are wondering if Jesus will finally restore the kingdom now that he has risen from the dead. Who can blame them. They’ve witnessed the miraculous! They’ve been to the mountaintop with their king! Death has been defeated! Surely, now is the time to set all things right permanently. But Jesus says,

“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Essentially, Jesus tells them, “It’s not yet time. But it is time for you to get to work as my witnesses.”

 

Our small group reflected on this reality briefly just this week. God richly ministered to us as a church family through our very full Easter weekend. From our Good Friday service to a delicious, shared meal on Holy Saturday with some members to a very early and beautiful Sunrise service on Resurrection Sunday—which was followed by a breakfast feast with our whole church family!—to a beautiful, gospel-rich and Holy Spirit filled Resurrection Sunday service, God truly met us and blessed us this past weekend. Many of us felt we had been up on a mountaintop with God. And now that it was over, some of us had the post-Easter blues, and wondered, “What now?” Well, Pastor Coty reminded us that this experience is not unique.

In Mark 9:2–13, we see three of the disciples have a literal mountaintop experience. While up on a high mountain with Jesus, Peter, James, and John suddenly find themselves subsumed by Jesus’ divine glory as he is transfigured before their very eyes. The experience is so overwhelmingly glorious and terrifyingly rich that Peter—not knowing what to say but nonetheless still managing to speak—acknowledges the goodness of the situation and suggests that they build a hut for Jesus in order to stay up on the mountain! The glory of the heavenly mountaintop experience in Peter’s mind warranted remaining on the mountaintop. Now this was not a wrong desire, wanting to remain in Jesus’ glory, but the timing was not right. There still remained much left to do in the broken, sinful world before the kingdom of God would come in all its fullness with Jesus reigning in all his glory. And the very next scene reveals this.

In Mark 9:14–29, we see Jesus, Peter, James, and John descend the mountain to join up with their comrades below. There, the exact opposite of the heavenly, glorious mountaintop, a valley marked by faithlessness and demonic oppression, immediately confronts them. A father with a demon possessed son, whom the disciples could not deliver, meets Jesus. Jesus’ response to the overall situation testifies to the work that remains to be done on earth, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me” (Mark 9:19). In Jesus we see the desire to depart and be in the Father’s heavenly glory. And in light of this desire, Jesus gets to work and delivers the boy. Jesus, while ever-desiring to return to his glory and see the fullness of the kingdom of God come to earth, continues to go about doing the hard and necessary work of serving and ministering to those in need. And he would do so all the way to the cross, for his cross is the only way his glory and his kingdom would come. And his cross is the only way those in need could enter that kingdom. Jesus’ gospel mission, his service, his ministry is the only way a faithless generation becomes a faithful generation.

So in Jesus we have our perfect example. In Jesus, we see what we should do after a glorious mountaintop experience. We should go to work advancing the kingdom. We go back down into the valley of the world marked by faithlessness and demonic oppression in order to be agents of gospel deliverance. We go into the valley of the world as his witnesses, clothed in the power of the Holy Spirit whom he sent to us. We go all-in on serving, hands to the plow, never looking back. And we serve with our hearts ever-desiring one thing—seeing the king, our God, in his beauty (Psalm 27:4; Isaiah 33:17). Yes, we serve with our eyes firmly fixed on one person and one place—the author and perfecter of our faith in the everlasting city of God in that far heavenly country that is to come (Hebrews 11:10, 16; 12:2, 22; 13:14).

Thank God for the moments of mountaintop glory in this life, and cherish them. They are a sweet reprieve and boost of spiritual vitality. They are like a father sweeping up his child into his arms for a big hug. Indeed, that is what they are—our heavenly Father, sweeping us up into his joy and glory. But when the mountaintop passes, and earthly reality sets back in, keep your heart and mind fixed on the heavenly, while working with your hands in the earthly. Remember the glory you’ve seen, look to the glory that is to come, and continue on your pilgrimage to that heavenly city that sits high atop God’s holy mountain. And along the way, serve. And, by God’s grace, help deliver your enslaved fellow men in this dark valley below. You may not know the time of restoration, but restoration is sure. And your king calls you to be his witnesses. So tell people of the glory you’ve seen and of the glory that is coming.

Meditating on the Cross

No event in history is more important than the cross of Jesus Christ. Yet the world around us distracts us from this great act of love and justice, of mercy and punishment. Thus we need times of intentional focus on this theme. In addition to our services Friday evening and Sunday morning, please take time this week to focus on the cross, and all that it entails.

Here are some resources to help you do that.

The scriptural accounts: We will read Mark’s account of the cross and the resurrection at our services. Read the other accounts also: Matthew 26-27, Luke 22-23, and John 18-19.

Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion: I have spent many a Good Friday afternoon listening to this masterpiece, which includes all of the text of Matthew’s account as well as various hymns and meditations. There are numerous recordings available on YouTube and the usual music apps. Listen especially to the account of Jesus’ dying on the cross and its immediate aftermath beginning at 5:30 of this video, and continuing to the first 2:15 minutes of this video. The links include English subtitles for the German lyrics; the text is from Matthew 27:45-54. Some consider Bach’s rendition of the centurion’s cry, “Truly this was the Son of God” the most beautiful piece in the entirety of western music.

John Piper’s narrative poem, “Pilate’s Wife”: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Pastor John wrote these poems for Advent in 2002, a few weeks after Beth and I moved to this area; I read parts to our fledgling church plant that year. Here is an excerpt from the end of part 1.

Come, children, take your fire, and light
This advent candle one. For bright
And blazing is our hope and deep
Desire that all the world would leap
To know the truth that Christ destroys
False worlds that he might fill with joys.
To know the truth that massacres
Might be forgiv’n and one who errs
A thousand times may find at last
That all his horrid sins are cast
Into the deep, and Christ, by grace,
Has made his massacre a place
Of life where even those who scorned
His face, may be with life adorned.

Bob Chilcott’s St John’s Passion. This piece, first performed in 2013, is new for me this year. In the tradition of Bach’s passions, Chilcott includes all of John’s account, intermixing the English text with hymns written between the 5th and 19th centuries. The music is all new. You can read the biblical and hymn texts via this pdf file and listen to the one-hour performance here. The musical setting for When I Survey the Wondrous Cross – the closing piece – is exceptionally beautiful. Here are the texts of three of the other hymns Chilcott uses, with links to the recordings:

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle by Venantius Fortunatus (c. 530–c. 600), translated by Percy Dearmer (1867–1936)

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle,
Sing the ending of the fray;
Now above the Cross, the trophy,
Sound the loud triumphant lay:
Tell how Christ, the world’s Redeemer,
As a victim won the day.

God in pity saw man fallen,
Shamed and sunk in misery,
When he fell on death by tasting
Fruit of the forbidden tree;
Then another tree was chosen
Which the world from death should free.

Jesu, grant me this, I pray, 17th century Latin, translated by Henry Williams Baker (1821–77)

Jesu, grant me this, I pray,
Ever in thy heart to stay;
Let me evermore abide
Hidden in thy wounded side.

If the evil one prepare,
Or the world, a tempting snare,
I am safe when I abide
In thy heart and wounded side.

If the flesh, more dangerous still,
Tempt my soul to deeds of ill,
Naught I fear when I abide
In thy heart and wounded side.

Death will come one day to me;
Jesu, cast me not from thee:
Dying let me still abide
In thy heart and wounded side

There is a green hill far away by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–95)

There is a green hill far away,
Without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all,
Who died to save us all.

We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains he had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there,
He hung and suffered there.

He died that we might be forgiv’n,
He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to heav’n,
Saved by his precious blood,
Saved by his precious blood.

Oh, dearly, dearly has he loved,
And we must love him too,
And trust in his redeeming blood,
And try his works to do,
And try his works to do.

May our Lord work though His Word, His church, and the musical gifts He has given us to highlight our sinfulness that necessitates the cross, and thereby to magnify the riches of His grace poured out on us through the death, resurrection, ascension, and return of our Lord Jesus, so that we as His people might endure in faith in Him, boasting only in the cross, Good Friday after Good Friday after Good Friday, until He returns.

The Power of the Resurrection

[From D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, God’s Ultimate Purpose: An Exposition of Ephesians 1 (Baker, 1978), excerpted from p. 399-422. These chapters are based on three sermons on Ephesians 1:19-20 preached in 1954; audio of those sermons is available online: first, second, third.]

[The resurrection] is the proof, beyond every other proof, of the fact that every obstacle and hindrance and enemy set in our path shall be overcome. The raising of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is proof positive and absolute, that even the ‘last enemy’ has been conquered and defeated….

Whatever may be true of our experience, whatever may be true of the world and its darkness, whatever may be true of the seeds of decay and of illness and of death that are in our bodies, and howsoever great is the power of the last enemy, we can be certain and confident of this, that nothing can prevent the carrying out of God’s purpose with respect to us. There is no power that can withstand Him; there is no might or influence that can match Him, there is no possible antagonist that can equal Him. The mightiest foes, the devil, death and hell have already been vanquished, and the resurrection of Christ is the proof of it….

Do you realize the exceeding greatness of His power in you? Do you realize the energy of the strength of His might that is already working in you? And do you realize that because it has begun it will continue, and continue until you will find yourself ‘faultless and blameless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing’ in the presence of God?…

It is most important that we should realize that the Apostle is praying here, not that the Ephesians may have more power, but that they may come to know the greatness of the power of God that is already working in them…. We are not Christians and cannot be Christians apart from this mighty working of the power of God…..

The most urgent practical question for every Christian is this: Are we aware of the fact that the almighty power of God is working in us? Do we realize that we are what we are solely and entirely by the grace and the power of God? Do we realize in our own personal lives and experiences that it is this exceeding great power of God that accounts for everything in the Christian life? I press these questions again because I am convinced that the main trouble with most of us is our failure to realize the greatness of the salvation into which we have been brought, and which we enjoy together.…

Somehow or another we do not grasp the idea of this mighty working of God in salvation. Far too often we think of it solely in terms of forgiveness. We think of the Christian life as just a matter of knowing that we are forgiven, and then our living the Christian life as best we can…. When we come to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, do we realize that it was the greatest manifestation of the energy of the strength of God’s might that the world has ever known. According to the Scriptures nothing but the almighty power of God could have raised Him again from the dead, and exalted Him to the high position where He is at this moment at the right hand of God. We forget that He was ‘declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead’” [Romans 1:4]….

Nothing but the power of God can make us believers. But it is also by this selfsame power that we continue in the Christian life. It takes the same power which enabled us to believe to enable us to continue at all in the Christian life. We would not be able to stand for a single hour in the Christian life were it not for this power of God that is working in us….

If you have the life of God in you, if He has started ‘a good work’ in you, He will not give it up, He will bring it to perfection. If you will not be led by Him, you will be driven; if you refuse to be enticed and attracted, you will be chastised. God wills our perfecting, and he will stop at nothing less. The work will go on, the power of God will continue to be exercised in us until we are faultless…. He wills that we should be holy and without blemish in His presence.

Is there anything more important for us than to know all this? We are in the hands of God, and He is working in us. He has given us the power to believe, He is working in us now, fashioning us, molding us, bringing us to perfection. We cannot escape it, we are in His hands and He will go on with the work. Blessed be his name!

Oh that we might know this more and more, and realize the high privilege of our calling, the marvel, the miracle of this new life which is all from God, and which is all by God. My comfort, my consolation, my strength, my assurance, is to know that God is working in me; and that He will never cease to work in me until I stand before Him in glory.

Death is Dead!

Last Sunday we sang the great hymn, “Crown Him with Many Crowns” by Matthew Bridges. Here is one of the verses:

Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.

Jesus died and now lives “that death may die.” This is a major theme throughout the history of redemption: The coming of death into the world, God’s plan to overcome death, Jesus’ victory over death, and the final destruction of death. Here is a selection of key passages on that theme. Read them and meditate on them. May those meditations enrich your worship not only Friday evening and Sunday morning, but throughout your life, as you rejoice in God’s promise: Death will die!

  • Genesis 2:16-17  The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (The first mention of death in the Bible).
  • Genesis 3:4-6  But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
  • Genesis 3:21  The LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. (Implying a death took place, possibly the first sacrifice).
  • Genesis 5:5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
  • Genesis 22:10-13  Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”  He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”  And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. (The death of a substitute instead of Isaac; this imagery continues to develop in the sacrificial system described in Exodus and Leviticus, and culminates at the Cross.)
  • Isaiah 53:10-12 It was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (The death of the suffering Servant instead of the transgressors.)
  • Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces. (A key verse for the New Testament authors.)
  • John 11:25-26  “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (Jesus prophesies the death of death.)
  • John 19:30  When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
  • Luke 24:5-7  “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
  • Hebrews 2:14-15  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,  and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
  • 2 Timothy 1:10 Our Savior Christ Jesus . . . abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
  • Romans 5:20-21  Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,  so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • Romans 6:3-5  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
  • Romans 6:9-11 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
  • Romans 6:23  The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:24-26  Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:53-54  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”  (Quoting Isaiah 25:8 above)
  • Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
  • Revelation 20:14  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
  • Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Another allusion to Isaiah 25:8)

May we indeed crown Him the Lord of life, and rejoice that He has destroyed the last enemy, death itself.

Resurrection is Sweet, Death is Painful

[I wrote this devotion in Holy Week, 2006. I’m now older than the friend I call John was when he died. Don’t wait. – Coty]

This week we remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Resurrection is sweet. Death is painful.

Personally, the reality and pain of death have hit me twice this week. Tuesday, I flipped through the alumni magazine from my undergraduate alma mater, and found to my surprise that my freshman roommate Rick had died in February at the age of 50. This morning, after an out-of-the-blue internet search, I stumbled across the information that a friend and colleague from my days as an economist – whom I’ll call John – had died last July at the age of 61.

I had only seen my freshman roommate once since graduation – at a reunion a couple of years ago. I was much closer to John. While he and I never shared a room, we worked together for over a dozen years, co-authoring several papers, presenting at conferences together, and jointly running a Masters degree program in development economics. Even after my call to the ministry, he tried to hire me as an economist. Last April a recruiter called, attempting to entice me back into economics; I’m 99.9% sure John was behind that.

I looked up to John in many ways. He was the ideal development economist, with a solid grasp both of economic theory and of the real world issues facing poor countries. A father of four, he always made time in his busy schedule to be with his children. And they thrived – one became a Rhodes Scholar. His infectious enthusiasm spurred many around him to become more than they ever thought they could be. He was ready to listen and give feedback on a wide range of topics. We had not regularly spoken to each other these last four years, but knowing now that I can’t call him, that I will never again hear his encouraging voice and hearty laugh, is painful.

For, unless something changed in his last months of life, John did not believe in Jesus. He was quite spiritual in the postmodern American sense, and considered “spirituality” to be something that we shared – but he did not recognize Jesus as His Savior, Lord, and treasure.

This man and I sharpened each other professionally; we edited each other’s words; we each made the other a better economist; we discussed how to better serve our students, how to improve our institution; we talked about fathering and marriage and, yes, spiritual issues.

But today I only ask myself: What more should I have said? How could I have better lived out and communicated to him the beauty of our Savior – the glories of the One who died on a cross on Friday and rose from the dead on Sunday, who is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty and who will come again . . . who will come again, this time to judge the living and the dead?

Life is short, my friends. O, life is short! Regardless of your efforts, you yourself may have only days left. (John was an athlete as a young man and kept himself in good physical condition all his life. Yet he died of a heart attack – while exercising.) Are you confident of your status before God the Father, the King of the Universe? Throw yourself on His mercy!

Are you His? Then spread a passion for His supremacy in all things! Don’t wait! Don’t dawdle! Don’t procrastinate! Be winsome – but be bold. Be tactful – but be forthright. Choose the right moment – but know that that moment must be soon! Today is the day of salvation!

No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

To love your neighbor as yourself surely means to respect their beliefs and to be cordial. But it surely also means to share with them the only way under heaven by which they can be saved from God’s eternal wrath. It surely means to share with them the purpose for which they were created, the joy that can be theirs for all eternity.

Resurrection is sweet. Death is painful. Your time may be short. The time for your neighbors, family, and friends may be short. Don’t live with regret. Even this weekend, speak the word of God’s grace; proclaim the Gospel to those around you.

Don’t wait.

For the Church on Easter Morning by Blake Lunsford

(Blake Lunsford began his Sunrise Service devotion last week with this poem:)

For the Church On Easter Morning

No mourning, this morning
It’s a new morning, this morning

The grave’s not grave, this morning
Christ isn’t in the tomb, this morning

Death isn’t slowly dying, Death has died
Death is dead, this new day

Oh, life
Life is living
Life is living like light is living in the heat of a summer’s day

Yes, life is living this Morning
God is loving this Morning

God has raised his Son from the dead
God has raised you from the dead

The grave’s not grave, this morning
No mourning, this morning

Keep looking at him, this morning
Christ is risen indeed, this morning

They All Left Him and Fled

And they all left him and fled (Mark 14:50).

Jesus fed thousands. So many gathered to hear Him, He had to leave the lakeshore and get in a boat to teach. A multitude welcomed Him to Jerusalem, shouting “Hosanna,” proclaiming Him as the fulfillment of the promise of a coming Son of David.

But now, after a show of force by the authorities, Jesus is alone. “They all left Him and fled.” All abandon Him. Not just the crowds. Not just those who saw miracles. But even those who have spent years at his side. Even those who have shared His bread. Even those He loved to the end. Even Peter, who only hours before proclaimed his faithfulness to Jesus until death. That faithfulness lasts only until a servant girl says she saw him with Jesus.

Only Jesus is faithful until death.

Something in us desires to be the hero. We all are tempted to say with Peter and the other disciples, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you” (Mark 14:31).

And whenever we try to be the hero, we fall flat on our faces – months or years later, if not (like Peter) that very day.

Only Jesus is the hero.

The Gospel is not the story of great men who do great deeds for God. The Gospel is not the story of heros of the Christian religion who, through tenacity, boldness, and strength conquer kingdoms and overcome evil. The Gospel is not the story of women of great insight and cleverness who outsmart evil oppressors.

The Gospel is the story of a holy and loving and faithful Trinitarian God: The Gospel is the story of God the Father planning and orchestrating all affairs of this world to display His character, His glory. The Gospel is the story of God the Son leaving His throne to become incarnate as Man, living the life God always intended for mankind, and then suffering and dying on the cross so that He might rise to be the first among many brothers. The Gospel is the story of God the Holy Spirit making alive hell-deserving sinners, opening their eyes to treasure God the Son, and empowering them to accomplish good works by faith for God’s glory.

By faith. That is, by looking away from their own abilities and limitations, by looking away from their strengths and their weaknesses, by looking away from themselves and their organizations, and leaning on God and His power to accomplish His purposes.

The Gospel is the story of man’s dependence and God’s independence, of man’s failures and God’s successes, of man’s moral bankruptcy and God’s moral integrity. The Gospel is about Jesus, not us; He must increase, and we must decrease.

Yet as we decrease in our egotistical self-confidence, something marvelous happens. His increase does not result in our fading into obscurity. As we walk by faith and not by sight, He increases, while we revel in our dependence. As we become poor in spirit and meek, we become heirs of the Kingdom; as we delight in His greatness and our weakness, we become the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

So as we consider over the next several days Jesus’ triumphal entry, His arrest, trial, beatings, and crucifixion, and as we rejoice in His resurrection, remember: The Gospel is all about Him. He is the center. Faith is a looking away from ourselves and what we have to offer. He paid the penalty. He rose from the dead. He is at the right hand of the Father. He always lives to make intercession for us. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us. The Gospel is all about Him.

We must decrease. Praise God! We are dependent. Praise Jesus! We are children. Praise the Spirit! We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Amazing grace! Amazing love!

 

Videos on Death, Resurrection, and Life

An Anglican church in central London has produced two excellent 3-4 minutes videos aimed at skeptics. The first, “That’s Easter: Life to Death” highlights the pervasive nature of sin and guilt, and the solution offered in Christ. The second, “That’s Easter: Death to Life” presents evidence for the historical reliability of the passion and resurrection accounts. Highly recommended.


THAT’S EASTER Life to Death from St Helen’s Church on Vimeo.

THAT’S EASTER Death to Life from St Helen’s Church on Vimeo.

HT: Justin Taylor