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t was a sunny day in Richmond Park, happy people were strolling by the ponds, eating ice-creams and watching children riding bikes. But up in the gloomy woods, surrounded by his grief-stricken family, an old man slowly emptied a casket of ashes among the trees. They were saying farewell to a beloved wife, mother and grandmother. This brutal contrast between joy in the sunshine and grief in the shadows reveals the familiar tragedy of human life: our loves and laughs get reduced to ashes... by death. We cope with this in different ways.
Sometimes we feel afraid of death. However hard we diet and train, however long the medics keep us alive, whether we die starving in Sudan, fighting in Afghanistan or sunbathing in Milan, the “Grim Reaper” gets us all one day. Sometimes we despair. Most of us cherish hopes of life beyond the grave with loved ones in God’s paradise. But the cynics tell us there’s no such place; the atheists tell us there’s no such God; the religions can’t agree on how to get there—and our consciences tell us that we wouldn’t get in. 1
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Sometimes we fight to stay positive about life after death. We imagine a massive heavenly party with Princess Di and Frank Sinatra and all the people we miss. Sometimes we try to forget. Like the rich fool in one of Jesus’ stories who said to himself: You have plenty of good things stored up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. So we avoid the subject and party as fast as we can.
And sometimes we get angry. Like the final words of Dylan Thomas’ famous poem about his dying father: Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. When we watch someone we love dying, the careers and comforts we’ve chased seem so utterly useless.
Can anyone break the tyranny of death? Millions of people, from every nation and culture, are discovering that Jesus of Nazareth has broken the power of death. He did it through the sensational events of the first Easter weekend in Jerusalem, in the early 30s AD. Jesus’ public death on a cross on what is today called “Good Friday” and his “resurrection” (return to life) on “Easter Sunday” have smashed opened the way for us through death into God’s everlasting paradise. Let me explain how…
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In his death we see Jesus’ PASSION! We all have passions—perhaps yours is food, fashion, films or football. Jesus Christ’s great passion is us! Incredibly, he can’t stop loving us. In fact, driven by this passionate love, he sacrificed himself to save us. So his death is often appropriately called his “Passion”. Mel Gibson’s blockbuster film, The Passion of the Christ, portrays something of the degrading brutality he endured. I once sat on an aeroplane next to a young Hindu Indian couple who admitted that they’d gone with friends to see the film to laugh at the Christian God. But as they sat in the cinema, they were so moved by what Jesus suffered that they wanted to know why he let it happen.
We’re in serious trouble with God We’re all in trouble with God for the selfish way we treat him and other people. Jesus observed: Out of people’s hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, rudeness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. As a result, we can’t expect to enjoy life after death with God. Jesus warned that without God’s care, we’ll be as miserable as sitting alone in darkness or in flames forever. And we don’t deserve anything better! Let me illustrate. Imagine two newly-qualified teachers, Tim and Matt, starting their first jobs and looking for somewhere cheap to live. To their huge delight, a family friend called Rob, a wealthy music producer 3
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who owns a marvellous mansion near the school, offers them his estate. “I’m away in the States for two years on business—I don’t need the money—stay in my mansion for £10 a month”. The lads are ecstatic. “Just stay in touch,” says Rob. “It’s a big place and needs looking after, so just answer my e-mails and have a great time!” The lads move in, taking one wing of the mansion each. Tim is wild—a party animal, and soon the East wing is trashed: cigarette burns on the furniture, beer stains on the walls and vomit on the floors. When Rob returns, he will be furious, and Tim will be out. But Matt is different—quiet and polite. He’s so well-behaved that the west wing is spotless. Everyone assumes that Rob will give him the whole mansion. But when Rob returns, he kicks them both out. Friends are shocked. Rob explains: “Look, I realise that they’re different—Tim trashed the place while Matt was clean and tidy. But they treated me exactly the same! Both of them ignored me; neither bothered to answer my messages; they abused my kindness and didn’t even bother to pay the tiny rent I asked. Since they treat me like that, I’m afraid they can’t stay.” And, surely, no-one could argue with that. This story illustrates the different ways we “sin” against God. We live in God’s world enjoying his generosity. God expects us to listen to his message in the Bible, look after his planet properly and to ask him for help in prayer. Most of all God would like us to enjoy his love 4
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and share it with others. But instead we ignore him and disobey him, and miss out on the wonder and joy of a life lived with God. Some of us trash our lives—wrecked relationships everywhere. Others of us are clean-living, religious and well behaved. But we either forget his kindness or arrogantly assume we’ll get ourselves into his heaven. Sometimes, we ignore him for so long that we even wonder if he’s there! It’s no surprise that God will not allow us into his paradise. We all need saving because we’re all in serious trouble with God.
Jesus died on “Good Friday” to save us But God still loves us so passionately that he came from heaven to swap places with us. As Jesus, he suffered what we deserve so that we won’t have to. Many people struggle to understand why the supreme being, Almighty God, would become an ordinary man. It does seem so absurd—so humiliating. We need to realise that God became human to suffer our death. God “the Son” was thrown out of the God “the Father’s” presence into the hellish spiritual agony we deserve, so that we don’t have to be. He died in our place. Here’s an illustration. On 8th December, 1995, the headmaster of St. George’s School in Maida Vale, North London, Philip Lawrence, came out of his school to find 13-year-old William Njoh being attacked by a violent Filipino gang. When Lawrence went to rescue the boy, he was fatally stabbed. William Njoh owes his life to his headmaster, who sacrificed his life for him that day. This can help us understand the death of Jesus. 5
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God became a man to suffer our death instead of us. One atheist writer describes Jesus’ self-sacrifice as “sado-masochistic” and “barking mad”. Millions of Christians just call it... love! And he didn’t stay dead.
In his resurrection we find eternal LIFE! Crazy as it sounds, Jesus rose up from the dead. His body wasn’t just revived (only to die later). He wasn’t reincarnated (his spirit entering a new body). He was “resurrected” or “raised”. He really died on the Friday and his Spirit went to be with the spirits of the dead until the Sunday when his Spirit rejoined his old body, transformed for life in heaven. The man who walked around Galilee had become the man who walks around heaven! Now most of us need serious evidence to believe this. Thankfully, God has provided plenty of eye-witness reports in the Bible. They emphasise three facts: f Jesus was definitely dead. Some religions say that Jesus never died—that he swooned on the cross and revived in the tomb. But modern medical evidence proves otherwise. In John’s Gospel (one of the four eye-witness biographies of Jesus in the Bible) we read that when the soldiers speared Jesus’ side to make sure he was dead, blood and water flowed out separately. We now know that separated blood and water is a sure sign of death. What’s more, the body of Jesus was checked and declared dead by the Roman execution squad, by Governor Pilate, who 6
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checked that this controversial preacher was dead before releasing the body, and by Jesus’ friends who buried him. Was everyone mistaken? How likely is it that after hours of brutal torture, six hours of crucifixion, and two days bound and buried in a tomb without hospital care, Jesus just sprang out of his wrappings, kicked open his stone tomb, overpowered the Roman guards and trotted into town to convince people that he was risen from the dead? Surely this is utterly ridiculous. Jesus was definitely dead. f The tomb was definitely empty. Some people suggest that Jesus’ disciples returned to the wrong tomb. Finding it empty, they hysterically began claiming that Jesus was alive when in fact his body was rotting in another grave. One problem with this idea is that the women who discovered the empty tomb watched as he was buried there. Matthew’s Gospel reports that the tomb was specifically sealed and guarded to prevent claims that Jesus had risen. But the guards couldn’t explain the missing body and were paid to keep quiet. If any eye-witnesses were lying, the authorities only had to produce Jesus’ body to destroy all claims of resurrection. But it was never found. And any suggestion that disciples or graverobbers stole the body simply doesn’t make sense. Apart from the problem of having to fight professional Roman guards, why would thieves leave valuable linen burial cloths behind? No-one stealing Jesus’ body would stop to unwrap it and leave behind these precious items to steal a naked, decomposing corpse. The tomb was definitely empty. 7
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f Jesus was definitely seen alive. Sightings of the risen Jesus were not fleeting glimpses of the “I swear I saw Elvis Presley in the supermarket” kind! People publicly talked and shared meals with him for a month after his resurrection. On one occasion, a crowd of more than 500 met with him. These sightings certainly weren’t hallucinations. Such delusions only happen in private to unstable people desperately longing for something. But Jesus was seen publicly by crowds of healthy people who didn’t expect to see Jesus again. One disciple, Thomas, flatly refused to believe that Jesus was alive until he’d actually touched the wounds with his own hands. What’s more, we can’t ignore the consistent experience of followers of Christ around the world today. Thoroughly intelligent and scientifically educated people everywhere insist they have a personal, spiritual relationship with the risen Jesus. He is definitely alive.
But what does Jesus’ resurrection mean today? Jesus’ resurrection is not only amazing but also hugely significant for each one of us. Jesus, God the Son, no longer walks physically on the earth but has returned to heavenly glory from where he rules the universe. God the Father has appointed Jesus to be the future judge of us all, living and dead. And one day Jesus will return to raise us from our graves, to gather his people into his paradise—and send his enemies away forever. 8
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Jesus can share his life with us Jesus has risen to open the door to eternal life for us. What happened to him can benefit anyone who follows him. It’s like this… The England football team represents the whole country. So if John Terry heads home a ball crossed by Wayne Rooney for the goal that wins the World Cup final in South Africa, England fans can scream in victory, “We’ve won!” Only one man headed the ball, but we all share in the benefits. In the same way, since Jesus is the King and Captain of God’s people, when he died for our sins and rose again to reign in heaven, he made it possible for all who follow him to share in his eternal life. We can shout with joy, “We’ve died and gone to heaven!” We begin to experience Jesus’ risen life within us when we turn from trusting ourselves and start trusting in Christ for our salvation. The Spirit of Christ comes to live in us and connects us to Jesus. We start to experience a new personal relationship with God as our loving Heavenly Father. We start to enjoy reading his words in the Bible. We begin responding to him with confident prayer. The new life that Jesus gives us is spiritual. But when Christ returns to take us home, we will then also be given a new physical life in God’s eternal paradise.
Jesus will raise the whole world one day When Christ returns, he’ll not only renew his people, but also his creation. He will make everything new. It’s a bit like a hugely popular American TV show called Extreme Makeover. 9
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In this wonderfully sentimental programme, a severely disadvantaged family have a marvellous new home built for them. While the family are whisked away for a holiday, an enormous team of celebrity designers and local builders destroy the old hovel and construct an immense mansion with state of the art technology and comforts. When the house is finished, the local community welcome the family home. There are emotional scenes as the weeping, delighted family are shown around their exciting new home. It’s fantastic television. But it also illustrates how Christ will transform everything. When we become followers of Christ, we can look forward to life in a new creation sharing in the risen life of Christ, free forever from corruption and pain. Christians feel like “slumdog millionaires”—we have been taken from utter spiritual poverty, and through Jesus, have been given privileges in heaven beyond our wildest dreams.
What must I do? In a sense, nothing. Jesus has done it all for us! We must simply put our trust in what he has done, and stop trusting in ourselves. In perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible, Jesus said: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John chapter 3 verse 16). If we turn from trusting in ourselves to trusting in Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and from disobeying to serving him as our Lord, we can share in his death and resurrection. 10
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In his death, our sins have been fully punished. In his resurrection, we now experience new life from him. And all because of God’s great love for us. We deserve nothing, but are given the staggering privilege of following him into paradise. Jesus’ PASSION—his death for our sin—has opened the way to resurrection LIFE with him.
How can I become a Christian? Jesus welcomes anyone who comes to him for forgiveness and eternal life. Here is a prayer that you can pray if you want to become a Christian. This will mean trusting Jesus as your saviour and serving Jesus as your Lord. Dear God, SORRY for selfishly rebelling against you— I know I deserve your punishment. THANK YOU for loving me and sending Jesus to die for me and rise to give me life—I am so grateful. PLEASE help me turn from trusting in myself to trusting in Christ as my saviour and from disobeying to serving him as Lord—I want to follow him. Amen If you have said this prayer and meant it, God has heard you and you are saved forever! You will want to talk to another Christian and go to a church that teaches the Bible to receive the support that you need. You can now enjoy Easter for what it really is—a celebration of Christ’s PASSION for your LIFE! 11
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What next? It may be that you are not yet ready to become a Christian. You may still have questions and doubts that you need time to work through. This is understandable. But make sure that you don’t just ignore Jesus. Make the effort to ask your questions and investigate the truth about God and eternity. Here are some suggestions: f Join a course. Many churches run informal courses for people exploring Christianity. Why not join one of these courses. Perhaps a friend who gave you this booklet, or the church they attend is the place to start. Or you could visit www.christianityexplored.org to explore other options. f Read the Bible. Why not start with Luke’s Gospel—which outlines the life and teaching of Jesus, and the facts of his death and resurrection. f Read a book. There are lots of great books which explain the Christian message. Try A fresh start or If you could ask God one question. Find them at: www.thegoodbook.co.uk f Go to a church where the Bible is explained week by week. As you meet with other Christians and listen to the teaching, God will help you understand.
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Copyright © 2009 Richard Coekin/The Good Book Company www.www.apassionforlife.org.uk Published by The Good Book Company, Elm House, 37 Elm Road, New Malden, Surrey KT3 3HB, UK. Websites: UK: www.thegoodbook.co.uk N America: www.thegoodbook.com Australia: www.thegoodbook.com.au New Zealand: www.thegoodbook.co.nz
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Except as may be permitted by the Copyright Act, no portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission from the publisher. ISBN: 9781907377068 (single); 9781907377075 (pack of 10) Printed in the UK