And joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the foregiveness of sins... Col 1:12 and 13
Introduction
He was born in an obscure village to a peasant woman
He grew up in another obscure village where he worked in a carpenters shop
He never...
Wrote a book
Held an office
Went to college
Visited a big city
Travelled more than 200 miles from the place where he was born
Did any of the things associated with greatness
He has no credentials but himself
At 33 years of age...
His friends ran away
One of them denied him
Was turned over to his enemies
Went through the mockery of a trial
Was crucified between 2 thieves
While dying soldiers gambled for his clothing
The only property he had on earth
Was laid in a borrowed tomb through the pity of a friend
Twenty centuries have come and gone and he remains the central figure of the human race
All the armies that have ever marched
All the navies that have ever sailed
All the parliaments that have ever sat
All the kings that have ever reigned put together
Have ever affected the life of mankind on earth as powerfully as that one solitary life
His name is JESUS
And today...
Millions of people all over the world are still celebrating his life giving death
We are here this morning because we believe he is the Son of God, the promised Messiah
The one who lived and died and rose again and will soon be returning to take us home to the place he is preparing for us.
And God says yes... but man says no
Post modernism...
Last week Ali reminded us that we live in a post-modern society.
A society that believes in relativism not in absolutes
A society that claims it believes in freedom of speech
But does not believe in the absolutes of the Bible
And is, increasingly, restricting the public proclamation of the truth of the Gospel.
Ali warned that, to a greater degree in the future, we believers are going to experience persecution for any public stand on our faith in Jesus alone.
We have seen Israel Falou's quotation of 1 Corr 6:9 taken out of context and used to persecute him.
We see a Saracens player threatened with cancellation of contract for simply agreeing with Israel's call to repentance.
We read of London police arresting Allan Coote for reading Mathew 5 "The sermon on the mount" outside St Paul's Cathedral.
The same place where nothing was done to anti-capitalist protestors who had set up camp in the same place for months and even shut down the Cathedral.
In this post-modern time the greatest danger is that we find that the interpretation of Scripture has been altered...
Some say "You must be born again" could refer to re-incarnation "??????"
Some churches teach...
Jesus is not the only way to the Father
Jesus is a{nother} god
Hugh Davidson's brother.
Death is like lying in a beautiful field of flowers listening to classical music...
Too much smoke to see... to much screaming to hear.
He refused to hear the truth.
There is no place called hell
Hell is simply separation from God
Some believe that once you have suffered in hell you will reach heaven through your own suffering.
The truth of the cross...
All of this of this post-modern interpretation is error.
Satan is its originator and disseminator
And isn't it alarming that the church is the place where lies are being promulgated.
We no longer hear sermons on hell
We only preach grace, love and mercy...
Which of course is true
But not the entire story
You cannot...
Read the Scriptures and not recognise the wrath of God...
That sin and the holiness of God are not compatible in any way
Read the Sermon on the Mount and not believe in hell... Mathew 5...
Jesus speaks of it no less than 4 times
Believe that Jesus came to this earth purposefully to die for the sin of the world... and not believe in hell.
It renders his suffering and death meaningless
Hear Paul
Addressing the Philippian church on the humiliation of Jesus and not believe in hell... Phil 2:9
Or telling the Galatian church that Jesus became a curse for us as he hung on the cross and not believe in hell...
Or telling the Corinthian church that the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexual offenders, thieves, swindlers, drunkards, slanderers will not inherit the kingdom of God... and not believe in hell.
The history of Israel from Exodus to the destruction of the temple in A.D.70 and beyond and not believe in the wrath of God.
The grace mercy and wrath of God are all one inseparable story of the love of God for mankind.
To tell someone they are going to hell if they do not repent and live for Jesus is not hate speech...
It is love talk...
For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son... John 3:16
The cross ...
The story of the cross is the greatest love story that has ever been told
Greater love has no man than this...
That a man lays down his life for a friend... John 15:13
There are literally thousands of stories, books and films illustrating this truth and we love to hear them...
That is exactly what we are celebrating today...
Jesus laid down his life for us on the cross of Calvary
He suffered physically more than any other person... Isa 52:14
His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man...
Witnesses were appalled... Isa 52:14
And indeed when viewing Mel Gibson version in the film he made we were appalled.
But even as God allowed men to witness the impact of their hatred for Him
He did not permit us to witness the extent of His wrath as the punishment for our sin was laid on Him.
For 3 hours there was darkness on the earth... Mathew 27:45
For 3 hours He suffered the wrath of God for us
Forsaken of God... Mathew 27:46
Jesus never ever forsook the Father
But He bore the wrath that we could not bear or even witness on His own...
That your joy may be full
Why did God do this...
Because there is a heaven... but also a hell
Greater love has no man than this...
God so loved the world...
That your joy may be full... John 15:11
I have told you this that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete...
Jesus was talking about His unbroken relationship with God the Father
But for us to have this unbroken relationship he had to bear the iniquity of us all ...
And he had to suffer a broken relationship for 3 hours.
This is amazing love... is what we sing
Challenge...
A call to repentance is not hate speech but the call of love
