The Ongoing Meaning of Jesus

For the next several Sundays we will be looking at what meaning Jesus has for today.  In a world that loves to take things from the past and give them whatever meaning it wants, we need to challenge ourselves.  Am I satisfied using Jesus for the meaning I want or do I want to know the True meaning God intended for him to have in my life?  People who have used Jesus for their own personal meaning over the years can grow tired and walk away from Jesus as if he has no meaning for today.  But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Today we will look at Acts 2:22-32, as Peter explains to the people of Jerusalem what was going on.  Jesus had been crucified around 40 days earlier.  In that sense many people had moved on.  “Well, he must not have been the messiah.”  However, there were rumors of a “resurrection.”  But in reality Jesus had ceased to have any meaning.  He was a possibility that proved false.  “Let’s move on.”  It is in this environment that the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples.  As they walk out onto the streets of Jerusalem rejoicing and praising God, the crowd notices that they are speaking in many languages that is impossible.  In fact they assume the people are merely drunk and out of their mind.  But in this environment, Peter speaks to the crowd.  Let’s look at what he says.

Peter Reminds Them About Jesus

Peter begins by reminding the crowd that the recent life of Jesus was one that was spectacular.  He says that Jesus was attested by God.  This literally means that Jesus was “exhibited” or “pointed out” by God.  The life of Jesus was highlighted with things that could not be overlooked.  God’s hand and power was clearly evident in it.  Peter mentions the miracles (literally the powerful actions), the wonders (that which causes you to stop and look), and signs (activity that points to something.  Jesus fed 1,000’s of people with just one lunch.  Jesus had healed people who had been blind, mute, or lame for long periods of times, even from birth.  These were not charades.  These were events that left people with their mouths open saying, “who is this?”  But Jesus was not just “wowing” the crowd.  The miracles had a purpose.  They pointed to something.  When Jesus fed the crowds out in the wilderness it was pointing back to how God fed Israel in the wilderness with Moses.  It was a Sign that was making them remember the power of God in Israel’s past.  They were supposed to make the connection.  Even the cross itself was a sign that was pointing back to the sacrifices of the Old Testament, especially the near sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham.  So with so much evidence of God’s hand of Jesus, how could he be killed?

Peter says that God had given Jesus into the hands of Israel.  This is a term that is used when we turn someone in to the authorities.  Yes Jesus was a gift, but he was also delivered into the hands of the authorities.  They had no power to take his life from him.  But God allowed them to exercise such power.  Why?  He had a “determined purpose.”  Jesus was to be his sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  He was to be the means of taking away the sins of sinners.  Also, Peter mentions God’s foreknowledge.  God knew that Israel would become so captive to sin that even though they were given truth, in the Law, they would be so corrupt that they would kill God if they could.  In Jesus they could.  So the death of Jesus was not proof that he wasn’t the messiah.  Rather, it was proof that God was doing something different with the messiah than they thought.

Peter then reminds them that the execution of Jesus was done unlawfully.  Now there was a trial and, even though it stretched the bounds of the law, it had the appearance of being lawful.  However, the truth was that this was an unlawful execution.  Throughout history man has operated within the boundaries of the law to do “unlawful” things.  These things are wrong by the laws of God, but also by the spirit of the law.  When we use the law to hurt others we are abusing the law and using it lawlessly.  So this is not a “legal” point in the courts of men.  It was a legal point in the courts of God.  They were lawless and guilty before God whether they “felt” guilty or not.  They did this over the top of God’s witness. 

It Is Impossible For Jesus To Remain Dead

Peter, in verses 24 and following, moves to the resurrection.  Jesus was raised from the dead because it was impossible for death to hold him.  The pictures are beautiful.  He was “loosed” from the birth pangs of death.  This reminds us of how Lazarus was loosed from the grave clothes that held him.  But here Jesus is having the “pains” of death unwrapped off of him.  It has been pointed out that for Jesus the tomb became the womb of the resurrected life to which he was going to be raised up.

Why is it impossible?  Peter answers that by quoting from Psalm 16:8-11.  However, if I were to sum it up, I would say that it was because of the relationship that Jesus had with the Father.  David’s close relationship with God brought him to a point where he not only realized that God would not leave him in the grave, but that God would not let the coming Messiah even see corruption, which is a clear reference to physical decay.   Jesus as the eternal Word of God had been in relationship with the Father before the worlds were ever created.  It was impossible for him to be “extinguished” by the mere death of his humanity upon a cross.  God would not let his promises to David go unfulfilled and He would not completely turn away from His Son.

In fact Peter states that the disciples were witnesses of these things.  Not just the 11 plus Matthias, but over 500 followers of Jesus saw him at one time; along with his multiple appearances to many different groups at many different times.  Peter and the other believers were witnesses of the fact that Jesus was resurrected and alive.  Though Jerusalem had moved on past Jesus, Jesus was not done with them.

Final Thoughts

The modern world has relegated Jesus to a thing of the past that is dead and gone.  Even many of those who do “believe” in Jesus, do so without believing that anything in the Bible was literally true.  They look to it as an inspiring story for what I want to do today.  But Jesus didn’t die to just be your inspiration.  It is impossible for Jesus to remain irrelevant to the politics and entertainments of this world.  Why? Jesus cannot remain irrelevant forever, precisely because he is alive and sitting at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the command to come and judge the nations of the world.  Are you ready?  Jesus must not continue to be irrelevant in your life, precisely because if he does then you will have to face God with the guilt of your rebellion against Him hanging over your head.  He is not relevant because you have a good feeling about him.  He is relevant because He is The Truth, The Way, and the only one who can give you Life.  Don’t wait another day without asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins and taking your place in his kingdom of hearts by following his word.

Ongoing Meaning audio

Our Heavenly Inheritance

We are going to start a series where we walk through the New Testament book of 1 Peter.  It is clear that Peter’s main concern is persecution because each chapter deals with it and many of the other subjects are an encouragement to those enduring it.  However, today we are going to be dealing with the inheritance that we have in Christ.

Who Is Writing

In order to set the stage, we want to recognize that this is a letter from the apostle Peter.  Peter was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus that lived with him wherever he went.  Within this group Peter was one of three who were closest to Jesus.  In fact, Peter is actually a nickname that Jesus gave to him.  Some try to make Peter out to be the head Apostle and first Pope, however, it is clear from Scripture that this is simply not true.  In Acts 15 we do not see Peter presiding over the council and decreeing God’s will ex cathedra.  Rather we see all the apostles speaking what God has been saying to them and coming to a consensus about what the Holy Spirit wanted them to do.  Also, though Peter eventually ended up in Rome and was put to death there, he does not appear as the first Bishop of Rome, nor was he the instrument to raise up a church in Rome.  This is not to diminish Peter, but rather to clarify who it is who is writing.  He is an apostle of Jesus; one who was sent by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel to the world alongside of the work of other apostles.

Who Received the Letter

This letter was written specifically to believers who had been spread out from Jerusalem due to persecution.  Believers went many directions to many places.  Here Peter describes areas that are in what we would call central and northern Turkey today.  Though some try to say these are Jewish believers, I don’t believe that is Peter’s point in speaking of the “dispersion.”  Most early Christians were Jewish by the fact that it started in Jerusalem.  So clearly there are many Jews in this group if not most of them.  The dispersion is not a reference to the overall Jewish Diaspora that had been going on, but rather to the issues of Acts 8:4 when persecution of Christians by fellow Jews caused them to disperse and scatter into the surrounding nations.  What Satan meant for evil God meant for good.  Thus the Gospel was spread beyond Jerusalem at a faster rate than would have occurred under the believer’s own direction.

Peter reminds them that they are “elect” (literally chosen) by God.  God chose them according to his foreknowledge.  God knows in advance what men will chose and how they will respond and He made a choice.  He did not choose to save the strongest or the wisest, but rather to save the humble.  Thus even the strongest and wisest can be saved, if they will humble themselves.  God did not choose our works of righteousness but rather chose a path of salvation that required men to confess their sin, humble themselves before God and put their trust in His righteousness, specifically in Jesus Christ.  Remember that God  has chosen you to salvation and to an inheritance not because of your great works, but because of simple trust in Him. 

They are chosen by God “in sanctification of the Holy Spirit.”  Sanctification is when we are set apart by God for his purposes.  That sanctification has aspects that are immediate and some that are ongoing.  When we believe in Jesus we are separated from the world as God’s children and recipients of his favor.  However, as we follow Him, the Holy Spirit enables us to be separated from the ways of this world and the image of this world.

Next they are chosen by God for Obedience and for Service.  Part of Obeying God is to first believe on Jesus and then to pick up our cross and follow him.  In other words we enter into a life of dying to things that Jesus may live in us.  Just as Jesus was obedient to go to the literal cross, so God will call us to do many things that are like a cross to our soul.  We won’t want to die to certain desires and fears, but to obey God we will eventually have to learn.  We may be disciplined at times, but as a loving Father, we need not worry that he seeks to disqualify us.  On the contrary, he died that we might be his children.  Trust him!  The reason I said we are chosen for Service is because of the imagery behind the “sprinkling of the blood of Jesus.”  It is pointing back to the Old Testament sacrifices.  Anything that was going to be used for holy purposes, whether it was an altar, clothing, or a person like the priests, had to be sprinkled with blood from a sacrifice.  It represented that it had been cleansed and set apart for God’s work.  That physical lamb that was slain and the blood that was literally sprinkled on things point to the death of Jesus.  So, how are we metaphorically sprinkled with the blood of Jesus?  This is done by the Holy Spirit when we believe on Jesus as our substitute.  He died for me that my sins could be covered.   I believe an then God applies the blood to cover my account.

Peter’s Desire For Them

Peter ends verse 2 by praying Grace and Peace for them and that it be multiplied.  Clearly our greatest need is God’s grace, peace with Him, and peace from Him.  Though God’s grace and peace are already potentially multiplied towards us all the time, we do need to rest in that grace and peace.  If we allow our confidence to be undermined then we can lose our grip on His blessings.  Thus Peter prays that it will be in constant renewal and supply.

Peter’s Praise of God

God’s plan for mankind is truly magnificent.  It is not the plan we would have made for ourselves, but it is amazing.  Thus Peter blesses the Father because of His abundant mercy, which is a mercy that is inexhaustible.  If every soul on the planet repented today, God would have enough mercy to draw them all in and more.  However his mercy is not just abundant in quantity.  It is also abundant in quality.  Thus the next phrase, “begotten us again,” is a reference to the new birth or spiritual birth of John 3:3.  Simple mercy would be allowing us to be His slaves.  As you increase that mercy we can rise from slaves to friends.  But God’s mercy is so great that he adopts us into his family and makes us his children.  He spiritually births us into his family.  No, we do not become gods as some may claim.  But our Father is God and His Spirit does live within us, which is an abundant mercy.  We also have a “living Hope.”  It is living because Jesus who was dead is now alive.  However, it is also living in the sense that the Hope is lively.  It can’t be put down or quenched.  When satan tries to convince us that there is no hope, the hope we have in Jesus jumps up and sends him fleeing.  In Christ our hope cannot be touched by satan.  Even his death words can’t destroy the living hope we have in Jesus.  Lastly it is a living hope because it is the hope of eternal life that we have in our own personal resurrection by Jesus.  Thus the resurrection of Jesus becomes the assurance or proof that the Father will do all he has said he will do.  Our hope is a hope of life eternal.

But notice the reason God has given us spiritual birth.  In verse 4 we are born for an inheritance.  A divine inheritance has been created for those who are God’s children.  This inheritance is “incorruptible.”  That means it can’t diminish or be lost in the stock market.  It can’t grow old and die.  It is imperishable.  The next word to describe the inheritance is “undefiled.”  It is a clean and pure inheritance.  God didn’t steal it from anybody and it is not ill-gotten gain.  It is a righteous and pure inheritance that does not “fade away.”  How?  It doesn’t fade because it is kept in heaven for you.  Here things fade and luster is lost.  But our inheritance is just as shiny as the first day God made it.  Nothing, not even satan himself, can get near it to tarnish it.  In fact in verse 5 Peter says that even we ourselves are “kept by the power of God.”  This is a military picture of a spiritual guard that is placed upon us as his children.  This doesn’t mean Satan can’t attack.  It just means that his attacks are only as successful as we let them be.  That is why he couples the guarding power to our faith.  When we simply believe God in the face of every lying demon of hell then Satan can’t touch us.  Like Job of old we can lose everything and yet not, because our faith is in God.  “Though God slay me yet I will trust him.”

God has revealed the plan of his salvation.  But the day is coming when the heavens will open and Jesus will return.  And , in that day, his salvation will be revealed in all its power and glory!  This is our heavenly inheritance that we have in Jesus.  Amen.

Hope Raised

We talked last week about how God is the source of this idea called hope.    Specifically the hope that in the future all that is wrong with our world and people will be fixed.  We also talked about how important the target of your hope is and how important the basis or foundation of your hope is.

In the weeks ahead we are going to talk about how the Resurrection of Jesus gives us hope in our relationships, job, hard times and good times, successes and failures, and throughout all aspects of our life.

However, on this day we are going to look at how the Resurrection gives us hope that we have the Truth.  This can be a very fragile thing at times.  It was just like this when Jesus came on the scen in the first century.  There was very little hope that Truth had been obtained, both in the Roman world and in Israel.  Truth is something many of us desire, however, at times we find ourselves doubting we can ever truly obtain it--and if we did we couldn't truly be sure.  Through the Bible God tells us that he himself is the embodiment of Truth and that he wants us to have Truth, to have him.  This is where the Resurrection is so important.  It is one of those events wherein God gives us something concrete on which to build a foundation of Hope.  The Resurrection of Jesus gives us the hope of having obtained Truth.  Let's look at 1 Corinthians 15 in the Bible.

The Resurrection gives us Hope of the Truth

Jesus made some great claims before he was crucified and it stands to reason that people today would have some questions and even bear some cynicism towards those claims.  Jesus claimed that he was the Son of God and that he had come down from heaven.  He claimed that he was the Truth from God.  He claimed that those who believed him would have eternal life and be resurrected at the end of the age.  There is so much deception in the world today and there was in the days of the followers of Jesus.  In this passage Paul deals with some questions and cynical rejections of the concept of a day in which people are Resurrected.  Paul says in verse 3 that he is giving to them exactly what was given first to him.  As I said earlier, God wants us to have Truth.  Truth is not something that we arrive at purlely through reason.  But reason can help us to analyze that which we receive.  God himself is the source of Truth.  There are other sources out there that purport to have truth, but these sources always pervert truth to their own ends.  So let's look at some common accusations or objections to the claims of Jesus and his disciples.

Jesus Never existed? The first objection is a basic denial that Jesus existed and the resurrection happened.  Of course we live in a day that loves to "correct" the historical record.  However, if you love truth, you don't just change history to make yourself feel better.  You have to have some sense of humility that you weren't there.  It is safe to say this, there is enough evidence for a rational person to recognize that Jesus did exist and that he was executed.  To believe else is to stretch reality.  I will mention first that the New Testament itself is a witness or evidence that Jesus existed and was executed.  However, since its claims are what we are questioning then let's move elsewhere.  There are historical records that were written by non-Christians, which give evidence that Jesus existed.  Josephus was a Jewish nonChristian historian who wrote while the apostle John was still alive.  He gave testimony that Jesus existed, was executed, and that his disciples claimed he had been resurrected.  A Roman, nonchristian historian named Tacitus wrote within 80 years of the cross.  He mentions Christ who was crucified in Jerusalem under Pontius Pilate.  He also mentions many followers who existed in his day of this Christ.  We also have the verification of archaeology.  The Bible gives places, events and people that continually are verified by archaeological finds.  Many "objections" of the past that accused the Bible of false information have been proven unfounded by new archaeological finds.  So it is difficult to explain these things without creating a highly unlikely web of conspiracy.

Miracles, Death, Resurrection All a Lie?  Another objection or accusation is that the miracles were made up, the body was stolen, and the resurrection is a lie.  I put these together simply because they do not deny Jesus existed, however, they do question the Bible's presentation of the facts.  If we wanted to change the historical record of what the Sumerian culture did, there would not be any Sumerians around to object to our changes.  There might be some students of history that would object, but they would be objecting on the principle of Truth.  Historians are supposed to hold Truth as a foundational principle.  But as we become more and more cynical about Truth, then we become more and more likely to accept wholesale historical revision as long as it makes us feel better.  Historical revisionism could happen if the history in question is in the far past.  But it is simply impossible at the same historical period when most of the eye witnesses are still alive.  Let me give you an example.  If I were to state that it is historical fact that during the Bush presidency he had declared martial law and taken dictatorial control over the country.  In fact he had suspended the election of 2008.  He almost got away with it, however, a young senator from Illinois named Barack Obama had led a contingent of Black Panther brigades up to the white house and had wrested control of the country away from Bush and had restored the USA back to a democracy.  Though many people may wish this had been true, it would be impossible for me to establish a "hero worship" cult around Barack Obama's supposed exploits within decades of the real events that took place.  Any one who followed such poppycock would be clinically insane (out of touch of reality). 

Within 2 months of Jesus death, burial, and "mysterious" disappearance, Peter was standing up in Jerusalem stating that Jesus had done miracles among them and the religious leaders had put him to death.  Peter also claims that Jesus had been resurrected and that he and the other disciples had witnessed this.  3,000 people believed from the crowd that assembled that day.  And, month by month, year by year, more people continued to believe that Jesus had been resurrected.  No one refuted the claims to miracles, nor the claims to death and burial.  The only dispute had to do with whether or not Jesus really was resurrected from the dead.   The only counter explanations for the "missing body" are that he wasn't really dead (swoon theory) or that his disciples stole the body and lied about his resurrection.  Let's deal with these claims.

To claim that the Romans were not successful in putting Jesus to death does seem to stretch reality.  The Romans had developed crucifixion into a torturous, killing mechanism.  The death of Jesus was never in question during the first century.  It is only today when the Roman soldiers cannot defend themselves that such accusations can surface.  Add to that the public action of being stabbed through the side into the heart seems to put this theory of "near death" in the arena of more than highly unlikely.  So the real issue is the idea that the body was stolen.  This brings up several problems.

How were the fishermen that followed Jesus able to steal the body of Jesus while a contingent of guards were at the mouth of the tomb?  It had a huge stone rolled over the mouth of it.  How were they able to move it without waking these slumbering guards?  These guards were under penalty of death if they "fell asleep."  Next we have the problem that hundreds of people claim to have seen Jesus and spoken with him after his death.  He had the wounds, but was able to appear and disappear within a group.  He appeared to individuals, small groups, large groups and not just once but many times over the course of 40 days, indoors and outdoors.  Paul explains some of this in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8.  Over 500 people saw him at once?  At what point do you give up the idea that Jesus would have to visit everyone in Israel at the time if you are going to believe?

Lastly, it is hard to explain why the apostles would be willing to die torturous deaths for something they knew was a lie.  One of the problems with torture is that eventually people will say anything in order to get the torture to quit.  Basically you can make the average person confess to being a twinkie if you inflict enough pain over a long enough period.  Thus if the Resurrection were true we would expect for there to be some individuals who would "recant" in the face of torture merely to stop the pain.  But who would be willing to be tortured and killed for something you knew was a lie?  It stretches belief.  The only logical conclusion is that these guys really did believe that they had interacted with a resurrected Jesus and they really did think they had seen him ascend into the sky and go out of sight through the clouds.  Now what are you going to do with that??

Resurrection Impossible?  The last accusation or objection I will deal with is the idea that a resurrection is impossible.  Bear in mind that we are not talking about a CPR situation, that is more like a "resuscitation." Let me just approach it this way.  If it were to be reported today that scientists have figured out how to freeze a person for as long as they want and then can bring them "back to life," some people might be sceptical.  But we would be sceptical that it is true, not that it is possible.  Most people have come to realize that through the scientific method, mankind is capable of doing "miraculous" things.  In a similar way if it were to be reported that through analysis of the human genome scientists have figured out how to fix a person's DNA so that they would never get sick.  Also, they have learned how to make the gene responsible for aging (maturing) to "switch" off once a person reaches their prime.  Many people would be sceptical, but they would be sceptical that it is true, not that it is possible.  It is somewhat hypocritical that we would believe that all manner of "improbable" things are possible when it comes to men doing it.  But we just cannot believe that the creator of all things, including life, is capable of bringing a person back to life?  Whether or not the resurrection was actual, it seems silly to persist with an argument that it is impossible.

Given the evidence that they had at the time, many followers of Jesus came to believe that Jesus had been resurrected.  Also, given the evidence of witnesses and what they had seen about Jesus, many others came to believe.

The resurrection itself became the proof to those who witnessed his life and teaching that Jesus had not been lying.  He really was the Son of God who had come down from heaven.  He really was paying the price for our sin through his death, burial, and resurrection.  Those who believed upon him really would be forgiven and saved from the punishment of their sins and be resurrected at the last day.  He really is coming back one day to rule upon the earth.  This really is what the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament were pointing to all along.  These people believed because of the evidence that they saw and heard, the fuller understanding of the Bible they received, and the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus himself emphasized that to believe on him was more than a mental event.  It really was accompanied by the presence and work of the Spirit of God himself.

Without the Resurrection our Hope is Worthless

In Verses 12-19, Paul points out that all of Christianity stands or falls upon the Resurrection.  This is why every year around this time of year there is a new attempt to disprove the Resurrection.  Last year a documentary purporting to have found the Tomb of Jesus and possible proof that he was not resurrected came out.  What is interesting is that most of the stuff in the documentary was discovered 20 years ago and had been dealt with by scholars.  It was not the "silver bullet" that it was made out to be.  Why would they do this?  Because they know that many people do not actually view the evidence.  Many people make decision for very emotional reasons.  Be careful of this.  The Resurrection is important because it is the proof that God had accepted the claims and statements of Jesus.  It is one thing for Jesus to say he can forgive sins by dying for us.  But how would we know that he is right?  The resurrection itself becomes the proof (vs. 17) that our sins are forgiven.

Here is the kicker.  For those who think disproving the Resurrection would solve the world's problems reread verse 17.  Notice that if the Resurrection is false then we have a bigger problem:  Our sin has not been dealt with.  Regardless of what you think about Jesus, if he was not resurrected then there is no answer for what is called "sin" in the heart of all people.  Religions in general tell you what you need to do in order to obtain freedom from the negative junk of this life.  But Christianity tells you that you simply need to believe in what God has done.  This is a big difference. One focuses on what men (myself) can do.  Christianity focuses on what God can do and has done.  If Christ was not resurrected than being a Christian is the dumbest thing in the world (vs. 19).  Jesus taught us to lay our lives down so that others might live.  This is a dumb thing to do if there is no life to come.  If there is no "after-life" then trying to live like Jesus is stupid. 

Paul closes his arguments with the Corinthians in verses 56-58.  The resurrection is what ensures us victory over death and the Law.  Why has God done it in this strange way?

False Hopes must Die For True Hope to Rise

In our humanity, we put our hopes on the wrong targets for all the wrong reasons.  God loves us too much to let us continue to hope in that which can never happen.  Our leaders will never figure out how to create a world in which we have Eutopia.  This False Hope will lead to the greatest tyranny this world has ever known.  At the cross the "messiah" of Israel and all the Hope that had been placed on him was executed on a cross.  The hopes died at the same time.  But when Jesus appeared in his resurrected form, he began to "retarget" their hopes and a new understanding arose upon a foundation that was no longer built upon a certain race, or a certain people.  It was a hope that was built upon God himself and cannot be shaken even when the people of Israel were kicked out of Jerusalem and scattered to the four corners of the world.

God sent Jesus to take your punishment upon himself.  God is not telling you to be a more perfect you.  He is telling you to die to your false hopes and to embrace the true hope that he is giving you.  What things in your life are you living for that are merely "wishful thinking?"   What flimsy reasons are you banking on to make it happen?  Think about this.  When your hopes are dashed might it be the grace of God to show you that your hopes are misplaced?  Could it be the love of God that tries to get your attention so that you might embrace a True Hope?  The resurrection of Jesus is God's way of trying to get your attention.  Has he succeeded?  Are you without Hope, today?  Good, now you are able to receive a real hope that God has for you:  A hope of freedom from your sins and failures, a hope of life everlasting, a hope that sees beyond the things of this world, a hope that can bring us through the worst that life has to offer.  Put your faith in Jesus today and ask him to forgive you of your sins and he will make you a part of his family.

Hope Raised audio