Resurrection Day 2010: a King's story

This is the text version of a "card" of sorts, my creation for Resurrection Day this year. Check it out in full color PDF form with graphics from creativemyk.com through the title link below (and if you want a printed copy, just ask):

"A King's Story"

“In the beginning...”

Seems like a fine place to begin a story.

So what happened?

Well, for a start, “God created.”

He created everything you see around you.

The heavens, Earth, plants, animals. And people.

And He called it “good.”

And it was. The people had everything.

Satisfying work, tame animals, abundant food, perfect relationships, direct access to God.

    “It was very good.”

But they wanted more.

One day, “very good” suddenly wasn’t good enough. The people did the one thing God said not to. And when they understood they did something wrong, something against Him, they ran. They hid from God.

And God sought them out.

Their actions had direct and dire consequences. They hurt each other, and they hurt God. They were cursed. Death was new. Yet He sought them to cover them, to give them some protection from what was to come.

    And, to make a Promise.

        Someone was going to restore all this.

Generations passed. Languages developed. Nations formed. And people still wanted their way instead of God’s.

Eventually God chose one nation in particular to show Himself to the rest of the world. He gave them specific things to do so all the nations could see Him through them. And time and time again, wanting their way like everyone else, these people failed.

But God kept restating it.

The Promise was made.

“For to us a child is born...

and the government shall be upon his shoulder...”            

-Isaiah 9:6

And through these people

a King was born.

“For unto you is born this day

... a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” -Luke 2:11

His Name Is Jesus.

He was there in the beginning, the Creator through whom all things exist (John 1:1-5). He came to His creation as an infant and grew to be a Man. He was tempted in all ways as we are, but always lived God’s way (Hebrews 4:15). He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only way to God (John 14:6). He was the Promised One who was in all things innocent, in all of life perfect, and in all ways God.

And they tortured Him & nailed Him to a cross.

“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour... And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” -Mark 15:33, 37-39

Those were the darkest hours the Earth has ever seen.

Jesus died.

But this King’s story doesn’t end...

For three days, His tomb stood silent.
   And then, the impossible happened.

As some women were going to visit the tomb, an angel surprised them, saying, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” -Matthew 28:5-6

“As (His disciples) were talking ... Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you!’ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet (the nail scars).” -Luke 24:36-40

Jesus is alive!

The Creator took the punishment for His creatures’ rebellion against Him. He had conquered death and the grave. To the people God called His own, He made a way for their relationship to be right again. He did everything they could not. He truly was the Way. He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). 

The Promise is fulfilled.

And as God reveals Himself through His people today

    the Creator prepares to create again

        a new Kingdom in a renewed Earth.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  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.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” -Revelation 21:1-5

The King tells His story...

    As a couple of men went walking, “Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” He asked what they were discussing and they said, “‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.’
    “And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” -Luke 24:15-27

   

    And to His disciples, Jesus said, “‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’” -Luke 24:44-47

What’s Your Part in the Story?

Everyone who’s ever lived has had a part in the King’s story. All of the Bible and all of history are God’s story, and all creation is waiting for the restoration to come.

Jesus came to restore His people and bring them back to Him. God calls each of us to turn from our own way and to Him, trusting Jesus as the Restorer who died to take the punishment of all who believe in Him, bringing them eternal life in a renewed Earth and Heavens with Him forever.

If you know Jesus as Lord, praise Him for what He has done, is doing, and will do for eternity in making our relationships, our work and our world right again.

If you don’t know Him, ask Jesus to show Himself to you for who He really is. Trust Him. Believe in Him as Lord, Savior and God. And then look forward to His future.

The Story of
Jesus Christ
Creator,
Redeemer,
Restorer,
Promised
King of Kings.

Resurrection
Day Blessings

(All Scripture quoted from the English Standard Version.)

Christmas letter '09: why a Baby?

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ... And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'" -Luke 2:1-11 (ESV), excerpted 


"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
-Isaiah 9:6 (ESV), roughly 700 years before Jesus' birth

____________________________
This year began with a lot of death. An inordinate amount in my experience. I was at four funerals in the first 2 weeks of 2009. I even sang at two, one of them for a friend. It had me thinking a lot about my own mortality.

But, in a turn of what I like to call "divine irony," the year is ending with a lot of new life. I know several people who are with child. I've been an aunt since I got married, but am now one to a blood relative for the first time thanks to my brother and his wife who are expecting next year.

I admit, I love the Lord's timing in all this since this time of year brings to mind an unusual and remarkable birth, that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Honestly, it's hard for me to think of Jesus as a baby. To me, babies are small and frail and make me more than a little nervous (though some tell me they're a lot tougher than I think). But I envision Jesus as an adult—strong, mighty, glorious. Someone more wonderful than anything we can imagine. And even with years of Nativity scenes in my head, it's still hard for me to really wrap my brain around that image. The fullness of God as a human baby? And then I, in my boundless curiosity, have to ask, "Why?"

Then I consider what the Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore, as one trespass (the sin of the first man, Adam) led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness (Jesus' perfect life, including his innocent death) leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's (Adam's) disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's (Jesus') obedience the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19, ESV)

So a man made an error that a Man had to repair. Intriguing.

Some cards I sent out this year read:
"He came to pay a debt He didn't owe
because we owed a debt we couldn't pay."

And we do owe a debt we can't pay. Every one of us does, because every one of us sins. Whenever we make anything or anyone more important than God, that's sin. It's automatically in our nature, because every baby who's ever been born was born with sin. (If you don't believe it, watch a youngster who's not getting his way. As I like to say, the selfishness comes with the package. Or just ask my mom about me as a kid. Yeah...)

From Romans 5:12, "...sin came into the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and so death spread to all men..." (ESV)

So that's true of every person born. All, that is, except one.

This baby Jesus, fully God and fully human, was the only baby born without sin. He was born to live a sinless life none of the rest of us who were born ever could. And He was born to die, to pay that debt for sinners like us.

From Romans 6:23, "...the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (ESV)

All the death I experienced at the start of the year, that's what each of us earns for our sin. But, for those who turn from their sin and believe in Jesus as Lord, He gives eternal life through His own death. We don't earn it. We don't deserve it. But He gives it as a free gift to all who believe. And the greatest miracle was delivered in the smallest package. Praise God.

Imperfect man damaged.
The perfect Man restored.
To pay a debt we cannot pay.
That's why Jesus was born.

 Have a blessed Christmas †

"I Will Rise"

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." -Paul the Apostle, Philippians 1:21 (NKJV)

I just got to see Chris Tomlin live for the first time last weekend near Chicago. We also got to go to a small worship leader's gathering before the show. Wasn't quite what I expected, and I don't agree with every lyric or story I heard (which is pretty much the case with everyone when I compare their words to Scripture). But I do love his style and still hold to the fact that this guy's got some great stuff, so I had a good time worshiping along to the solid tunes.

One of the songs off the new album "Hello Love" which caught my attention pretty quick is called "I Will Rise." Before I even knew why the song was written, it didn't take me long to say, "I want that played at my funeral."

That statement might freak some people out. But since we are all destined to die, have no idea when the Lord will call us out of the race here on Earth, and I dream often about being in His presence, I think this sort of thing merits some consideration. I echo what John Piper says, that I have a vested interest in making my Lord Jesus look really good in life and when I die. I only pray that whenever and however He takes me, He'll use it to glorify Himself.

Check out the lyrics...

I Will Rise
by Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, Jesse Reeves, Matt Maher

Song lyrics | I Will Rise lyrics


Tomlin played this one at the concert, along with the side note that his grandfather just passed away, recently requesting Chris play it at his funeral. That was last Tuesday, and I hope he got through it.

Here's what Chris Tomlin has to say about the song:



I love that bridge too, and I know what He's saying, about that future hope of Glory and being forever in God's presence praising Him. But it's important to note that hope only comes in looking back to what Christ did in His death on the cross, dying for the sin of those who accept Him and rising again. I think the song communicates that fact, but I never want to assume my entire audience truly gets this vital concept, or that any of us can ever hear it enough.

This is eternal perspective. It looks forward and backward simultaneously. It is why we worship, why we will worship eternally and the only hope we have in this life or the next.

I should share that I attended four funerals in the first 2 weeks of this year, two of which I sang at, and some carried more hope than others depending in part upon how loudly the reality of the Gospel could be proclaimed through the life of the deceased. So again, I pray by God's grace that reality will be spoken and sung loud and clear whenever my time comes, even as I enter into the joy of my Master, worshiping in the presence of His Glory.

Worthy is the Lamb, indeed.

"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him." -2 Corinthians 5:1-9 (NKJV)

eternal life - who gets it?

Q. In the Bible it states that whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life. What happens to the people who follow other religions?

A. Thousands of religions have been created by man, primarily in attempts to explain life and death. Most center around the "self," thus causing man to become his own god. However, no religion, or act, can bridge the rift between man and God that is created by sin.

God requires us to be sinless before Him. This is impossible because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23, NKJV) Jesus' death on the cross was the atoning sacrifice for sin. We must believe that Jesus died in our place to atone for our sin. Those who are called and believe in Him vicariously become righteous before God the Father. Only then do we receive eternal life with Him after death. Only those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will reside in Heaven, where we will be forever in the presence of our Lord, praising Him.

Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NKJV)

Regardless of religious affiliation, anyone who refuses Christ's sacrifice is in the same predicament. If a person does not believe in Christ's sacrifice prior to death, his soul will reside in Hell. Hell is a very real realm of conscious agony outside of the presence of God, and is therefore a place without joy or hope. After the final judgment, both the living who have not received Christ and the souls of the dead who are in Hell will be cast forever into the lake of fire reserved for Satan and his angels. (See Revelation 20:12-15)

We should also keep in mind that, as Creator of the Universe, it is God's prerogative to mete out judgment as He sees fit. In His justice, He was not required to save any of us, yet He chose to die for His people. This is amazing grace.

Christians are commanded to go gently and humbly to others, proclaiming the Gospel so that all who are called by Him will repent and believe in Christ. We do not know who will be called, but remember that God in His mercy can call anyone from any background to Himself until the day they die.

Recommended reading: "The Case For Faith" by investigative reporter Lee Strobel. This book considers eight major objections to Christianity, including the chapter "It's offensive to claim Jesus is the only way to God."