I read these words this morning from the 124th Psalm:

'If the Lord had not been on our side - let Israel (and all in Jesus) say - if the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us (or temptation, or physical problems, or financial problems, or depression, or a whole host of other foes that we all face every day) when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. (But the Lord IS on our side if we are trusting in Jesus, therefore) Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare; the snare has been broken , and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." NIV

I enjoy professional basketball. The playoffs have begun and the defending champions - the Boston Celtics - are in big - probably fatal - trouble because their star 'big man' - Kevin Garnett - is injured and will probably not be able to play for them at all. They lost their first game yesterday against probably the weakest team in the playoffs and could very easily lose many more and be out very quickly - tough break for the champs. Here's the good news of the gospel for the believer in Jesus: Our 'Champion', our 'Big Man', our Savior never gets hurt, never has to go on the disabled list, never has to sit on the sidelines cheering for us, hoping for us, yelling for us - but not being able to do a thing in the world to save us. The point of this great psalm is simply this: In our own strength we all are lost - in this life we are going to get 'attacked', 'swallowed', 'engulfed', and finally 'swept away' if its just us. But praise God it is not just us. We have a 'Star' who has promised that He will never leave nor forsake us - no matter the size of the opponent. Let's trust Him with our whole lives today!

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The message of today, Easter, 2009 is the same message as it was on the first Easter - it hasn't changed an iota:

'The only way to become a Christian is neither by trying to live some sort of a Christian life nor by hoping for some sort of religious experience, but rather by accepting Christ as Savior. No matter how complicated, educated, or sophisticated we may be, or how simple we may be, we must all come the same way, insofar as becoming a Christian is concerned. As the kings of the earth and the mighty of the earth are born in exactly the same way physically as the simplest man, so the most intellectual person must become a Christian in exactly the same way as the simplest person. This is true for all men, everywhere, through all space and all time. There are no exceptions. Jesus said a totally exclusive word: "No man comes unto the Father but by me." The reason for this is that all men are separated from God because of their true moral guilt. God exists, God has a character, God is a holy God, and when men sin they have a true moral guilt before the God who exists. That guilt is not just the modern concept of guilt feelings, a psychological guilty feeling in man. It is true moral guilt before the infinite, personal, holy God. Only the finished, substitutionary work of Christ upon the cross as the Lamb of God - in history, space, and time - is enough to remove this. Francis Schaeffer

He is risen this morning, friend! He is risen indeed! Have you allowed Him to 'rise' in your heart?

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I read this piece by Bonhoeffer many years ago, and I have always felt that it is one of the best statements concerning Christ and the salvation that He brings that I have read anywhere. Especially on this Good Friday observance, I would like to share this with all:

"In the body of Jesus Christ, God is united with humankind, all humanity is accepted by God, and the world is reconciled to God. In the body of Jesus Christ, God took on the sin of the world and bore it. There is no part of the world, no matter how lost, no matter how godless, that has not been accepted by God in Jesus Christ and reconciled to God. Whoever perceives the body of Jesus Christ in faith can no longer speak of the world as if it were lost, as if it were separated from God . . . The world belongs to Christ, and only in Christ is the world what it is. It needs, therefore, nothing less than Christ himself. Everything would be spoiled if we were to reserve Christ for the church while granting the world only some law, Christian though it may be. Christ has died for the world, and Christ is Christ only in the midst of the world. It is nothing but unbelief to give the world . . . less than Christ. It means not taking seriously the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the bodily resurrection. It means denying the body of Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome:

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinner, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." Romans 5:6-11 NIV

The only issue that now remains is this: will I and every other person on this planet accept this already-accomplished salvation as the gift of God's grace that it is? If I do not accept the gift, as far as I am concerned, its as if Christ had never died. I am still in my sins. My salvation is still up to me. And I am lost - and forever will be without Jesus. Jesus truly 'is the answer, for the world today!' Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior?

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Speaking of the importance and meaning of Christ's cross, the great Chinese pastor, teacher, and minister - Watchman Nee - wrote:

"Human souls have fully enjoyed the pleasure of sins; accordingly, in His soul Jesus would endure the pain of sins. He would rather drink the cup given Him by God than the cup which numbed consciousness. Because every man had enjoyed the apparent glory of sin, so the Savior must endure the real shame of sin. Man's human spirit has so separated itself from God, exalted itself, and followed the evil spirit that man's spirit must be totally broken in order that it may no longer resist God and remain allied with the enemy. Forsaken by God, Christ thus suffered sin's bitterest pain, enduring in darkness the punitive wrath of God on sin without the support of the love of God or the light of His countenance. The cross bears the sinner's judgment, proclaims the sinner's worthlessness, crucifies the sinner, and releases the life of the Lord Jesus. Henceforth, anyone who accepts the cross shall be born anew by the Holy Spirit and receive the life of the Lord Jesus.

If you don't believe in a real, literal hell - ask Jesus if He does. He'll say 'Yes!', because He has been there - literally been there. He went there for you and me, so that we don't have to. Thank you Lord!

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