Famous Last Words on Good Friday

The last seven sentences of Jesus Christ



Sermon Statement

Jesus’ famous last words revealed who he is and what he had done for us – God incarnate and the penal substitution for our sins

read more

Famous Last Words on Good Friday

The last seven sentences of Jesus Christ



Sermon Statement

Jesus’ famous last words revealed who he is and what he had done for us – God incarnate and the penal substitution for our sins

read more

Did Jesus Died for Everyone?

RPM, Volume 10, Number 51, December 14 to December 20 2008

The Intention of the Cross,
Examined

By Damian M. Romano

The doctrine of the Atonement of Christ has seen some serious attention ever since it has first been contemplated. Controversies have sprung up since the dawn of the church age over whether Christ died for every single person or only the elect. The atonement is probably the most widely known and controversial point of what is known as the five points of Calvinism. I believe that of all the teachings of the Reformed faith it is the most misunderstood and misconstrued doctrine among those who disagree with it. The chief argument against the limited (definite) atonement is this: that this view limits the value of Christ’s death and the power in his blood. I want to echo at the outset what the Reformers taught that Christ’s death is indeed sufficient to save to the uttermost every person who ever lived, past, present, and future. But was this the intent of the Father? We will soon see that the scriptures may have something different to say. We will also see that it is not merely the Calvinist who limits the atonement, but those who oppose most certainly do as well. It is my intention to bring illumination to the proper understanding of this precious teaching.

read more

Did Jesus Died for Everyone?

RPM, Volume 10, Number 51, December 14 to December 20 2008

The Intention of the Cross,
Examined

By Damian M. Romano

The doctrine of the Atonement of Christ has seen some serious attention ever since it has first been contemplated. Controversies have sprung up since the dawn of the church age over whether Christ died for every single person or only the elect. The atonement is probably the most widely known and controversial point of what is known as the five points of Calvinism. I believe that of all the teachings of the Reformed faith it is the most misunderstood and misconstrued doctrine among those who disagree with it. The chief argument against the limited (definite) atonement is this: that this view limits the value of Christ’s death and the power in his blood. I want to echo at the outset what the Reformers taught that Christ’s death is indeed sufficient to save to the uttermost every person who ever lived, past, present, and future. But was this the intent of the Father? We will soon see that the scriptures may have something different to say. We will also see that it is not merely the Calvinist who limits the atonement, but those who oppose most certainly do as well. It is my intention to bring illumination to the proper understanding of this precious teaching.

read more

The Sign of Immanu_el

The Sign of Immanu-el
Text: Isaiah 7:1-17

7:1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.
2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

”‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16 But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”

Sermon Statement

The sign of Immanu-el for us is that God is in control, God saves and God is with us.

read more

.

The Sign of Immanu_el

The Sign of Immanu-el
Text: Isaiah 7:1-17

7:1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.
2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

”‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16 But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”

Sermon Statement

The sign of Immanu-el for us is that God is in control, God saves and God is with us.

read more

.

A Light in the Darkness

A Light in the Darkness

15 years old Tee Hui Yee made headlines last year when she received two heart transplants within a week. Prior to that, in 2006, she was on a mechanical heart for one year in IJN (Institute Jantung Negara), making a record for the longest period anyone is on a mechanical heart. Her own heart was too weak to work. It would not have been comfortable as the mechanic heart need a battery that weighs 9 kilograms.

In October 2007, she received a suitable donor heart from a man in Perak. Unfortunately, her body rejected the donor heart within one week. On 3 October, a 20 year old mechanic was killed in an accident in Johor. The parents agreed to donate their son’s heart and Hui Yee received a second heart transplant. This time, her body accepted the new heart and she was able to be discharged in time for Christmas last year.

Finding a suitable heart for transplantation is very difficult because the heart must match our bodies. If it does not match, our bodies will reject the foreign organ. This is like kidney transplant. For Hui Yee to find and receive 2 hearts within a week is nothing short of a miracle. The down side is that for a heart transplant to occur, someone has to die. No one can give away their heart and yet live.

read complete sermon here

A Light in the Darkness

A Light in the Darkness

15 years old Tee Hui Yee made headlines last year when she received two heart transplants within a week. Prior to that, in 2006, she was on a mechanical heart for one year in IJN (Institute Jantung Negara), making a record for the longest period anyone is on a mechanical heart. Her own heart was too weak to work. It would not have been comfortable as the mechanic heart need a battery that weighs 9 kilograms.

In October 2007, she received a suitable donor heart from a man in Perak. Unfortunately, her body rejected the donor heart within one week. On 3 October, a 20 year old mechanic was killed in an accident in Johor. The parents agreed to donate their son’s heart and Hui Yee received a second heart transplant. This time, her body accepted the new heart and she was able to be discharged in time for Christmas last year.

Finding a suitable heart for transplantation is very difficult because the heart must match our bodies. If it does not match, our bodies will reject the foreign organ. This is like kidney transplant. For Hui Yee to find and receive 2 hearts within a week is nothing short of a miracle. The down side is that for a heart transplant to occur, someone has to die. No one can give away their heart and yet live.

read complete sermon here

Ongoing Incarnation

Would Christmas have come even if we had not sinned?
Philip Yancey posted 1/10/2008 08:52AM


More than two centuries before the Reformation, a theological debate broke out that pitted theologian Thomas Aquinas against an upstart from Britain, John Duns Scotus. In essence, the debate circled around the question, "Would Christmas have occurred if humanity had not sinned?"

Whereas Aquinas viewed the Incarnation as God's remedy for a fallen planet, his contemporary saw much more at stake. For Duns Scotus, the Word becoming flesh as described in the prologue to John's Gospel must surely represent the Creator's primary design, not some kind of afterthought or Plan B. Aquinas pointed to passages emphasizing the Cross as God's redemptive response to a broken relationship. Duns Scotus cited passages from Ephesians and Colossians on the cosmic Christ, in whom all things have their origin, hold together, and move toward consummation.

Did Jesus visit this planet as an accommodation to human failure or as the center point of all creation? Duns Scotus and his school suggested that Incarnation was the underlying motive for Creation, not merely a correction to it. Perhaps God spun off this vast universe for the singular purpose of sharing life and love, intending all along to join its very substance. "Eternity is in love with the inventions of time," wrote the poet William Blake.

read complete article here

There may be more to Teihard de Chaidin's theology of the Cosmic Christ and the Omega Point.

.

Ongoing Incarnation

Would Christmas have come even if we had not sinned?
Philip Yancey posted 1/10/2008 08:52AM


More than two centuries before the Reformation, a theological debate broke out that pitted theologian Thomas Aquinas against an upstart from Britain, John Duns Scotus. In essence, the debate circled around the question, "Would Christmas have occurred if humanity had not sinned?"

Whereas Aquinas viewed the Incarnation as God's remedy for a fallen planet, his contemporary saw much more at stake. For Duns Scotus, the Word becoming flesh as described in the prologue to John's Gospel must surely represent the Creator's primary design, not some kind of afterthought or Plan B. Aquinas pointed to passages emphasizing the Cross as God's redemptive response to a broken relationship. Duns Scotus cited passages from Ephesians and Colossians on the cosmic Christ, in whom all things have their origin, hold together, and move toward consummation.

Did Jesus visit this planet as an accommodation to human failure or as the center point of all creation? Duns Scotus and his school suggested that Incarnation was the underlying motive for Creation, not merely a correction to it. Perhaps God spun off this vast universe for the singular purpose of sharing life and love, intending all along to join its very substance. "Eternity is in love with the inventions of time," wrote the poet William Blake.

read complete article here

There may be more to Teihard de Chaidin's theology of the Cosmic Christ and the Omega Point.

.

The Nature of Atonement

This book explores 4 views of the nature of atonement. The nature of atonement has attrached some interests recently due to the writings of some theologians such as W.T. Wright who makes this difficult theological construct understandable to those of us who are not theologians.

Hence a book like this which explores Christus Victor, kaleidoscopic, healing, and penal subsitutionary views is very welcome. It must be noted that there are other views which are not discussed such as ransom, governmental, subjective etc.

The format of the book is that each proponent of a view writes a chapter and then the other three critique it from their viewpoints.

Gregory A. Boyd: Christus Victor view.

Joel B. Green: kaleidoscopic view

Bruce R. Reichenbach: healing view

Thomas R. Schreiner: penal subsitutionary view.

Gregory Boyd (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at Woodland Hills Church in Maplewood, Minnesota.

Joel Green (Ph.D., Marquette University) is professor of biblical and theological studies at Bethel University.

Bruce Reichenbach (Ph.D., Northwstern University) is professor of philosophy at Augburgh College.

Thomas Schreiner (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) was professor of New Testament at Southern Seminary and taught New Testament at Azusa Pacific University and Bethel Theological Seminary.

This book is easy to read and digest. However one need to go in with an open mind. I will recommend this book to those who are seeking to understand atonement, particularly the current debate on penal substitutionary view and its misappropriation by many theologians.

hey, I am just a provincial town doctor, what do I know?

The Nature of Atonement

This book explores 4 views of the nature of atonement. The nature of atonement has attrached some interests recently due to the writings of some theologians such as W.T. Wright who makes this difficult theological construct understandable to those of us who are not theologians.

Hence a book like this which explores Christus Victor, kaleidoscopic, healing, and penal subsitutionary views is very welcome. It must be noted that there are other views which are not discussed such as ransom, governmental, subjective etc.

The format of the book is that each proponent of a view writes a chapter and then the other three critique it from their viewpoints.

Gregory A. Boyd: Christus Victor view.

Joel B. Green: kaleidoscopic view

Bruce R. Reichenbach: healing view

Thomas R. Schreiner: penal subsitutionary view.

Gregory Boyd (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at Woodland Hills Church in Maplewood, Minnesota.

Joel Green (Ph.D., Marquette University) is professor of biblical and theological studies at Bethel University.

Bruce Reichenbach (Ph.D., Northwstern University) is professor of philosophy at Augburgh College.

Thomas Schreiner (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) was professor of New Testament at Southern Seminary and taught New Testament at Azusa Pacific University and Bethel Theological Seminary.

This book is easy to read and digest. However one need to go in with an open mind. I will recommend this book to those who are seeking to understand atonement, particularly the current debate on penal substitutionary view and its misappropriation by many theologians.

hey, I am just a provincial town doctor, what do I know?

The Resurrected Christ

Summary

The resurrection of Christ on Easter is about remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

Introduction
Easter is a day of celebration. We remembered the passion of the Christ on Good Friday; Jesus' secret illegal arrest at night, his trial by the Sanhedrin and the people, his questioning by Pontius Pilate, his whipping and humiliation by the soldiers, his rejection by his people who chose Barrabas instead of him, his judgement, his carrying the cross through the streets of Jerusalem, his crucifixion, his dying and death on the cross. And he was quickly and quietly buried before sundown on the Friday. All this happened more than 2,000 years ago. All this would have been forgotten except for one thing. Jesus claimed that he is God and that he will rise again from the dead. And it happened exactly as he said! The 4 Rs of Easter is remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

REMEMBRANCE

Luke 24:1-8
LK 24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 `The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8 Then they remembered his words.

Why do you look for the living among the dead? That is the important question. Jesus has risen from the dead. Therefore all that he taught is the truth and we can trust him. We remember and celebrate Easter because it marks a new era in human history, and also in the history of the whole creation. The resurrection of Jesus in Easter Sunday marks the beginning of God’s work of renewal, restoration, and re-creation. In Genesis, we read that God created the whole creation in 6 days and he rested on the 7th. On the 8th day, which is Easter Sunday, God begin his work of renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

RENEWAL
(i) Kingdom of God

Mark 1:15
15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Romans 14:17
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

The Kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom. It is not something we can see or touch. The kingdom of God is when God rules in our hearts. This kingdom has a now and latter perspective. The kingdom of God arrives when Jesus walks the earth. It is already here on earth, in the hearts of men who are believes in God. It will also come again when Jesus comes again in the Second Coming to start God’s Millennium Kingdom on earth. Easter gave a boost to the expansion of the kingdom of God. That is why it is a time of renewal.

(ii) The New Covenant
Easter also marks the beginning of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant or the Mosaic Covenant was between God and the people of Israel, mediated through Moses. It was a covenant of Law. The Law is supreme on earth because it represented God. Break it and God shall break you. The New Covenant is between God and all people. It is mediated by Jesus Christ. It is a covenant of grace.

Hebrews 9:15
HEB 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

[…Old Covenant…..Good Friday][Sabbath rest/Holy Saturday][Easter/Jesus resurrection…New covenant…]

Romans 6:14
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

No longer are we condemned by the Law. Jesus Christ by dying on the cross has taken on all our sins. We are declared righteous by the Law. It is a legal standing. Our slate has been wiped clean. We no longer have a criminal record. That is why on Easter, we can able to enter into the New Covenant with God. God is holy. We can only enter into a relationship with God only if we are holy. We are now holy because of Jesus Christ dying for our sins on the cross.

(iii) New Person

2 Cor. 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Not only our legal standing in God’s court makes us holy, we also received a new nature. We are a new person, a new creation in Christ. Our old sinful human nature has been renewed.

The Old Covenant is about the Law. The Law says, “You cannot do this, you cannot do that.” The Law is THOU SHALT NOT.
The New Covenant is about grace. Grace says, “What will Love do?” “What will Jesus do?”

There is a personal friend who was a pastor of a large church. His first wife died of cancer so he remarried. Unfortunately his second marriage did not work out, in spite of all they try to do to salvage it: counselling, prayers, and interventions of other Godly Christians. They divorced. My friend has a hard time because of this divorce. He resigned as a pastor and for many years was avoided by many Christians. Then he remarried again. After his remarriage, he was offered and accepted a pastor post in a church in Singapore.

What does the Law says?
*Deu. 22:13-21, 2-29 states that divorce was not permitted
*God hates divorce (Mal.2:16)
*Divorce is a failure of what God intends for humans (Mk.10:5-9)
*Remarriage is committing adultery (Mt.5:32; Luke 16:18b)
The Law says sinner, sinner, and sinner!

Someone wrote to “Dear Chai Hok” column in April/May issue of Asian Beacon to ask. “Can a Divorced & Remarried Person be appointed as a Pastor?” I like Chai Hok’s answer. Is murder as sin? Can it be forgiven? Yes. Is divorce a sin? Is it an unforgivable sin? Can it be forgiven? Then why don’t we forgive that person and allow him to be pastor. That is grace. That is renewal in this time of Easter from a covenant of law to a covenant of grace.

RESTORATION
(i) Forgiveness of sin

Matt. 26:28
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

The dying of Jesus on the cross has won us forgiveness of God. Our rebellion against had made God angry. Under the old law, “the wages of sin is death.” This means we will all die. I am talking about spiritual death. This spiritual death means spending the rest of eternity in hell. Jesus, who is sinless because he is also God, died for our sins and thus earned forgiveness for us. In Easter, we are reminded that we have already received forgiveness for our sins.

(ii) Reconciliation with God
Romans 5:11
11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Having being forgiven and declared holy, we can be reconciled with God. A relationship that is broken is now mended. God created humans higher than the angels. God created us to that he can be our friend. He wants a relationship with his creation. Easter reminds us of the restored relationship with God.

(iii) Hope
Titus 2:11-14
TIT 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Easter is a hope of renewing our hope. Our hope is in Jesus, our God and Saviour. Our hope is that he will take care of us, heals our diseases, protect us from the wicked and disasters, protect our families, guide us in the right road, and in the end, eternal life with God.

Did you even have a broken relationship with someone you love? Because of some incident, that close loving relationship you have is cut. You do not or cannot talk to each other. You feel hurt and anger. All those years of loving and close relationship experience in the past have been forgotten. How can that be? Can we forget what has gone before because of what happened now to sever the relationship? God asked can a mother forget the baby she has breast fed. Easter is when relationship is mended, a broken relationship restored.

RE-CREATION

(i) New heaven and earth

Rev. 21:1-4
REV 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

That is our hope and that is what God is re-creation. In Genesis, the perfect paradise or the Garden of Eden was closed to us by human rebellion. Now God is working to re-create a new heaven and earth.

(ii) Holy Spirit

Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

When Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit indwells us. The Holy Spirit is God. He empowers us with the power to do God’s work.

(iii) The Great Commission

2 Cor 5:19-20
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Matt. 28: 18-19
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

God is re-creating his whole creation. This means the people and nature. What is exciting is that his time, he wants us to help him. We are called to be co-creators with God. Of course, we cannot create something out of nothing. We are not God. However, we are to work with the existing materials to help God re-create the world. We are called to “make disciples of all nations” and we are to be God’s ambassadors “for the message of reconciliation.”

Conclusion
The resurrection of Christ on Easter shows God’s work on renewal, restoration, and re-creation. It is also a time of forgiveness. Picture in your mind someone who has hurt you, someone who has caused you pain, someone you hate. Than say on this Easter day, as God has forgiven me, I forgive you. Sincerely forgive the person. Ask God to help you forgive that person. And set yourself on the road of remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

Soli Deo Gloria

The Resurrected Christ

Summary

The resurrection of Christ on Easter is about remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

Introduction
Easter is a day of celebration. We remembered the passion of the Christ on Good Friday; Jesus' secret illegal arrest at night, his trial by the Sanhedrin and the people, his questioning by Pontius Pilate, his whipping and humiliation by the soldiers, his rejection by his people who chose Barrabas instead of him, his judgement, his carrying the cross through the streets of Jerusalem, his crucifixion, his dying and death on the cross. And he was quickly and quietly buried before sundown on the Friday. All this happened more than 2,000 years ago. All this would have been forgotten except for one thing. Jesus claimed that he is God and that he will rise again from the dead. And it happened exactly as he said! The 4 Rs of Easter is remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

REMEMBRANCE

Luke 24:1-8
LK 24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 `The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8 Then they remembered his words.

Why do you look for the living among the dead? That is the important question. Jesus has risen from the dead. Therefore all that he taught is the truth and we can trust him. We remember and celebrate Easter because it marks a new era in human history, and also in the history of the whole creation. The resurrection of Jesus in Easter Sunday marks the beginning of God’s work of renewal, restoration, and re-creation. In Genesis, we read that God created the whole creation in 6 days and he rested on the 7th. On the 8th day, which is Easter Sunday, God begin his work of renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

RENEWAL
(i) Kingdom of God

Mark 1:15
15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Romans 14:17
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

The Kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom. It is not something we can see or touch. The kingdom of God is when God rules in our hearts. This kingdom has a now and latter perspective. The kingdom of God arrives when Jesus walks the earth. It is already here on earth, in the hearts of men who are believes in God. It will also come again when Jesus comes again in the Second Coming to start God’s Millennium Kingdom on earth. Easter gave a boost to the expansion of the kingdom of God. That is why it is a time of renewal.

(ii) The New Covenant
Easter also marks the beginning of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant or the Mosaic Covenant was between God and the people of Israel, mediated through Moses. It was a covenant of Law. The Law is supreme on earth because it represented God. Break it and God shall break you. The New Covenant is between God and all people. It is mediated by Jesus Christ. It is a covenant of grace.

Hebrews 9:15
HEB 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

[…Old Covenant…..Good Friday][Sabbath rest/Holy Saturday][Easter/Jesus resurrection…New covenant…]

Romans 6:14
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

No longer are we condemned by the Law. Jesus Christ by dying on the cross has taken on all our sins. We are declared righteous by the Law. It is a legal standing. Our slate has been wiped clean. We no longer have a criminal record. That is why on Easter, we can able to enter into the New Covenant with God. God is holy. We can only enter into a relationship with God only if we are holy. We are now holy because of Jesus Christ dying for our sins on the cross.

(iii) New Person

2 Cor. 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Not only our legal standing in God’s court makes us holy, we also received a new nature. We are a new person, a new creation in Christ. Our old sinful human nature has been renewed.

The Old Covenant is about the Law. The Law says, “You cannot do this, you cannot do that.” The Law is THOU SHALT NOT.
The New Covenant is about grace. Grace says, “What will Love do?” “What will Jesus do?”

There is a personal friend who was a pastor of a large church. His first wife died of cancer so he remarried. Unfortunately his second marriage did not work out, in spite of all they try to do to salvage it: counselling, prayers, and interventions of other Godly Christians. They divorced. My friend has a hard time because of this divorce. He resigned as a pastor and for many years was avoided by many Christians. Then he remarried again. After his remarriage, he was offered and accepted a pastor post in a church in Singapore.

What does the Law says?
*Deu. 22:13-21, 2-29 states that divorce was not permitted
*God hates divorce (Mal.2:16)
*Divorce is a failure of what God intends for humans (Mk.10:5-9)
*Remarriage is committing adultery (Mt.5:32; Luke 16:18b)
The Law says sinner, sinner, and sinner!

Someone wrote to “Dear Chai Hok” column in April/May issue of Asian Beacon to ask. “Can a Divorced & Remarried Person be appointed as a Pastor?” I like Chai Hok’s answer. Is murder as sin? Can it be forgiven? Yes. Is divorce a sin? Is it an unforgivable sin? Can it be forgiven? Then why don’t we forgive that person and allow him to be pastor. That is grace. That is renewal in this time of Easter from a covenant of law to a covenant of grace.

RESTORATION
(i) Forgiveness of sin

Matt. 26:28
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

The dying of Jesus on the cross has won us forgiveness of God. Our rebellion against had made God angry. Under the old law, “the wages of sin is death.” This means we will all die. I am talking about spiritual death. This spiritual death means spending the rest of eternity in hell. Jesus, who is sinless because he is also God, died for our sins and thus earned forgiveness for us. In Easter, we are reminded that we have already received forgiveness for our sins.

(ii) Reconciliation with God
Romans 5:11
11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Having being forgiven and declared holy, we can be reconciled with God. A relationship that is broken is now mended. God created humans higher than the angels. God created us to that he can be our friend. He wants a relationship with his creation. Easter reminds us of the restored relationship with God.

(iii) Hope
Titus 2:11-14
TIT 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Easter is a hope of renewing our hope. Our hope is in Jesus, our God and Saviour. Our hope is that he will take care of us, heals our diseases, protect us from the wicked and disasters, protect our families, guide us in the right road, and in the end, eternal life with God.

Did you even have a broken relationship with someone you love? Because of some incident, that close loving relationship you have is cut. You do not or cannot talk to each other. You feel hurt and anger. All those years of loving and close relationship experience in the past have been forgotten. How can that be? Can we forget what has gone before because of what happened now to sever the relationship? God asked can a mother forget the baby she has breast fed. Easter is when relationship is mended, a broken relationship restored.

RE-CREATION

(i) New heaven and earth

Rev. 21:1-4
REV 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

That is our hope and that is what God is re-creation. In Genesis, the perfect paradise or the Garden of Eden was closed to us by human rebellion. Now God is working to re-create a new heaven and earth.

(ii) Holy Spirit

Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

When Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit indwells us. The Holy Spirit is God. He empowers us with the power to do God’s work.

(iii) The Great Commission

2 Cor 5:19-20
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Matt. 28: 18-19
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

God is re-creating his whole creation. This means the people and nature. What is exciting is that his time, he wants us to help him. We are called to be co-creators with God. Of course, we cannot create something out of nothing. We are not God. However, we are to work with the existing materials to help God re-create the world. We are called to “make disciples of all nations” and we are to be God’s ambassadors “for the message of reconciliation.”

Conclusion
The resurrection of Christ on Easter shows God’s work on renewal, restoration, and re-creation. It is also a time of forgiveness. Picture in your mind someone who has hurt you, someone who has caused you pain, someone you hate. Than say on this Easter day, as God has forgiven me, I forgive you. Sincerely forgive the person. Ask God to help you forgive that person. And set yourself on the road of remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

Soli Deo Gloria

Easy Believism

I struggle with this issue of easy believism. Pray a sinner's prayer and you shall be saved and immediately you receive eternal life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "cheap grace" from his book, Life Together, comes to mind immediately.

David Gushee's article, Jesus and the Sinner's Prayer: What Jesus says doesn't match what we usually say, strike a chord in me. He writes,

In my Baptist tradition, especially, we direct people to "invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior," an act undertaken using a formula called the "sinner's prayer." Or we simply say, "Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved."

But Jesus never taught easy believism. Whether he was telling the rich young ruler to sell all and follow him or telling a miracle-hungry crowd near Capernaum that to do the work of God was, yes, to believe on him (John 6:28-29), he called people to abandon their own agenda and trust him radically. Radical trust calls for both belief and action.

I suggest that we tend to confuse the beginning of the faith journey with its entirety. Yes, believe in Jesus—that's the first step. Yes, invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior. Then, empowered by God's grace, embark on the journey of discipleship, in which you seek to love God with every fiber of your being, to love your neighbor as yourself, to live out God's moral will, and to follow Jesus where he leads you, whatever the cost.

I believe we need to review our techniques of evangelism and easy believism. Are we slowly lowering the requirements for entry into the kingdom of God as we have lowered the entry requirements for so many other things in our culture?

Some food for thoughts.

Easy Believism

I struggle with this issue of easy believism. Pray a sinner's prayer and you shall be saved and immediately you receive eternal life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "cheap grace" from his book, Life Together, comes to mind immediately.

David Gushee's article, Jesus and the Sinner's Prayer: What Jesus says doesn't match what we usually say, strike a chord in me. He writes,

In my Baptist tradition, especially, we direct people to "invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior," an act undertaken using a formula called the "sinner's prayer." Or we simply say, "Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved."

But Jesus never taught easy believism. Whether he was telling the rich young ruler to sell all and follow him or telling a miracle-hungry crowd near Capernaum that to do the work of God was, yes, to believe on him (John 6:28-29), he called people to abandon their own agenda and trust him radically. Radical trust calls for both belief and action.

I suggest that we tend to confuse the beginning of the faith journey with its entirety. Yes, believe in Jesus—that's the first step. Yes, invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior. Then, empowered by God's grace, embark on the journey of discipleship, in which you seek to love God with every fiber of your being, to love your neighbor as yourself, to live out God's moral will, and to follow Jesus where he leads you, whatever the cost.

I believe we need to review our techniques of evangelism and easy believism. Are we slowly lowering the requirements for entry into the kingdom of God as we have lowered the entry requirements for so many other things in our culture?

Some food for thoughts.