The killer of joy, peace and hope

In recent times I was asked to contribute to a series of messages expounding the letter written to the people at Rome. The message begins with rather confronting statements about the human condition.

God the righteous judge calls our bad choices‘sin’. Some choose to ignore or deny God – it is sin worthy of punishment. Others hide their inner unholy attitudes by criticising others, yet it is ‘sin’. Many people use the cloak of religious observance to cover hypocrisy and greed – the Bible calls it ‘sin’.

Then I hear many say – ‘well we are all sinners, so who has the right to be judgemental’ – God has that right and He will have the final word.

On the horizontal plane, it is true that we are all without excuse, we have gone astray along with others, but on the vertical plane, we have offended the God who made us to choose right, designed us to do good, to know Him and to love Him. Our rebellion against God deserves judgement. Judgement is not the outcome of a grumpy God. It is the putting in place of justice.
Moses, who knew God face to face, wrote 
"You have set our iniquities before you, our secrets sins in the light of your presence" Ps90.8

God does not gloss over sin, but rather exposes it and deals with it justly.

Does God the judge leave us in the plight of sin and condemnation – NO.   

He is the one who steps up to remedy the situation (now that is good news),  ............................................................if we will let Him! !

I recommend that you read again the first three chapters of ‘Romans’. Be honest with God and yourself:

“My sins deserve eternal death.............................................”

Stay tuned for the next episode of what God has done .

If you do not have a Bible, let me know.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Evidence, wittnesses

The Bible is an amazing book. As a whole it is the most sensible account of human history. It’s depiction of a perfect beginning, then degenerating with time into the present chaos of our sick world, is rather accurate. It’s honest reporting of the failures of leading personalities verifies that it is not fictionalised to promote any particular hero. The only one who stands without fault is Jesus, and the Bible relates His story from at least four different sources.

It is a book that must be read as an ongoing story and very much relates to the events and culture of the times in which it was written. However, it has in each context, sentences (verses) that have in themselves life changing power. The promises given, have done and still do bring hope to millions of believers. I am constantly amazed at how the Bible can verify itself in the face of criticism. One example in relation to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus comes to mind.

The resurrection of the Lord has been disputed since the day He rose from among the dead. The writing of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, is more significant than I had previously thought:

The good news about Christ dying for our sins, and then rising the third day, had been received by Paul from the Lord and was confirmed with the apostles who had travelled with Jesus of Nazareth.

Then he give a list of the witnesses who had seen the Lord Jesus, as physically alive from the dead.- Peter, twelve apostles, more than 500. The he adds “most of whom are still alive”. This short statement give the approximate date of writing (1^st generation Christians), but more importantly, Paul is inviting the critics of the resurrection, to go and ask the witnesses. Most were still alive as witnesses of having heard and seen the risen Lord. This was not a myth or legend produced over time.

The inclusion of James is important , since prior to the resurrection, he did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah. Now he is a believer having met the Lord, alive from the dead.

Verse 8 "He appeared to me also", could easily be missed as unimportant. But it is very important! Saul ( Paul )the persecutor, well respected in the Jewish religious circles, learning from an honourable Rabbi, is changed into a disciple of the one he once hated. For the rest of his life he was persecuted, ridiculed, poor and eventually executed for the sake of the Lord Jesus. Why the change? On the road to Damascus a voice was heard from heaven “I am Jesus”.  Saul knew it was a heavenly voice but how could it be Jesus, since he had been crucified years before? The only answer was that He had risen out from the grave and had truly gone into heaven from whence He could reach into the lives of people wherever they might be. Thus it is important to see that Saul’s interaction with the Lord in heaven years after the death of Jesus, was a powerful testimony to Jesus Christ being alive and Lord of all. How important is this sentence : “He appeared to me also”

Likewise John the apostle had a real encounter with the risen, exalted Christ:

“I saw one like the son of man..............................Who then said: “I was dead, and am alive forevermore”” (Revelation 1)

Other evidence today points to the same fact – He is risen Indeed!

‘If you will confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’  (Romans 10.9)

J. McKee

The Lord is risen

"He is risen indeed"

Try counting the number of people who saw Him after He rose out from death

A good day or a bad day?

People might well ask why a bad Friday is now called ‘Good Friday”

The narrative of Jesus of Nazareth being judged by the Jewish leadership and the Roman governor does not create any joyful feelings. The injustice, the violence, the mockery and then the cruelty of the crucifixion, all point to a very bad day.

 How is it then that Christians all over the world find something good from what seemed so bad and tragic .  If logic were our compass we would be lost for an answer. If the Bible is our compass, we have answers abundant.

One way to understand the meaning of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, is to remember links to it in the Old Testament. The Israelites were commanded to bring animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. After many years of practising this, the prophet Isaiah announced that the Messiah would come as a servant, and that His soul would be made an offering for sin (Isaiah 53). By means of His sufferings and resurrection, He would justify many. The Lord Jesus himself referred to these Old Testament scriptures to explain His sufferings. (Luke 24).

Another way to consider the purpose of the cross, is to ponder the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, before and after the event. He said He would ‘give His life a ransom for many’ (Mark 10.45). As a shepherd, He said He would “lay down His life for the sheep”  (John 10). He emphasised that this would be done according to the commandment of the Father. He gave His disciples detailed predictions of His impending death – rejected, spit on, killed etc. When it came to the night He was betrayed, He said to the apostles, “ this is my blood shed for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26.28). Thus we can see that His going to the cross was not accidental or unfortunate. After the resurrection, He said “ It was necessary that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His Name”. 
(Luke 24)

Peter was a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and he put it this way   –“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.” (1 Peter 3.18)

Paul, who met the Lord Jesus Christ after the resurrection and ascension, commented on the cross as – the Son of God who “gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” (Galations1).

We could continue on this subject for a long time because so much of the Bible is occupied with the meaning and effects of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even in heaven, the song of the redeemed will refer back to the “Blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 5).

How we rejoice that it is God who turned the evil of mankind (at the cross), into a good outcome.

For Jesus Christ it was pain, aloneness, reproach, shame and death, but for those who believe in Him, it is the means of freedom, forgiveness and eternal life (and so much more).

‘Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus our blessed redeemer

For our sins He suffered and bled and died

He’s our Rock our hope of eternal salvation

Hail Him, Hail Him, Jesus the crucified’

johnmckee@internode.on.net

The King

The king arrived at the city gate. How disappointed he was to discover that almost no one recognised him. He had built the city and with great detail and precision and had set up it’s walls, it’s towers along with the beautiful gardens. The streets had been laid out in order and the market place established for the convenience of all. But now all was in disarray. Worst of all was the state of the people. They were preoccupied with selfish gains, distracted in worship by other attractions, seeking to attain their own independence by their own ingenuity.

The intriguing thing is how the king now comes to them. Not presenting himself as a  king, but as a servant to all. He connects with the gardener as a gardener. He connects with the shepherds as a shepherd for he is more interested in restoring the people than he is in restoring the structures and the environment. Love does compel him to expose the pride and disobedience of the people, but his compassion brings healing and recovery. But how does he bring God’s favour upon this rebellious people? How can true enduring peace be restored?

He died for them!

The Miracles

Jesus of Nazareth certainly did many mighty miracles. 

John the apostle summarized them this way - “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name” (John 20.31).

The miracles were spectacular and undeniable. He changed water into wine, stilled the storm, multiplied five loaves of bread to feed 5000, healed the sick, walked on water, raised the dead to life again.

Some critics questioned the power source (since the magicians of Egypt could do certain miracles), but the Lord Jesus himself restated that the power to do these miracles was by the Holy Spirit, in accord with the commandment of the Father.

• The reason why He did these signs was important.
• They were done as the works of the Father.
• The signs vindicated the authority of Jesus as the Son of God
• The signs and wonders confirmed the words of Jesus as the words of God.
• The character of the miracles was an expression of God’s caring love for a broken humanity.

Note that these miracles were not something worked up – so often healing was instant, seldom done in the synagogue, and not limited to certain psychological conditions. The final sign, which worried the rulers of the Jews, was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. This ultimate sign of His ultimate authority, was indicative of His final authority on the day of judgement, when all the dead will be raised  to face Him as the judge.

How important it is that we believe in Him, to be delivered  from the condemnation of judgement (John 5.24) , and instead find the full meaning of ‘eternal life’

It is not the thrill of miracles that counts, but the thrill of knowing Him whose name is "Wonderful" (wonder worker)

John McKee

Born of a virgin? A sinless life?

The baby - the Boy - the Man - Jesus 

My meditations on the Lord Jesus Christ are progressing slowly. We do well to pause in this busy world, to check the foundations, to be sure of the validity of our hope in Jesus Christ our Lord.

John the Apostle pointed to Jesus when he wrote “the Word (Logos) became flesh and lived among us”  (John 1.14)

We do well to ask then ‘if God came to live among us, how did He come and what was He like? Human reasoning might suggest that He should suddenly appear in dazzling light or as a superstar leader.