Living Word Spring 2016

The centurion watching Jesus saw the earthquake, and feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk

In this issue: 3.

United with Him in His Resurrection

Ken Legg (Australia)

6.

Christ’s Appearances after His Resurrection

Mathew Bartlett (UK)

10.

Pontius Pilate: Behold the Man!

Mathew Bartlett (UK)

14.

Happy Mother’s Day

Mathew Bartlett (UK)

15.

The Returning Lord

Reinhard Bonnke (CfaN)

18.

The Sufferings of Christ

Mathew Bartlett (UK)

22.

Christ’s Appearances after His Resurrection

Mathew Bartlett (UK)

24.

The Exaltation of Christ

Mathew Bartlett (UK)

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Britain’s’ Cheapest Gospel Tracts

Bible Studies Online

Living Word is published in the UK by Sharon Full Gospel Church, 7 Park View, Freeholdland Road, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, NP4 8LP Editor: Mathew Bartlett

©Photos - above: Marcin Winnicki. Cover: © Philcold. Wooden background: Dave Bredeson Left from top: Jozef Sedmak, Connie Larsen, Jacob Gregory. Back Cover: © A. J. Cotton

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United with Him in His Resurrection

By Ken Legg

Image © James Steidl

When United with Christ in His resurrection, Christians live by grace. Grace is all about what God has done for us and is doing in and through us by His Spirit. Legalism nullifies grace by making it all about what we attempt to do for Him, thus subtly promoting reliance upon the flesh.

Having died with Christ, we have been raised with Him as a new creation. He is now our life. ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal.2:20). As Paul said, if we have been united with Christ in His death, we shall also be united with Him in His resurrection.

It was no different in the days of the New Testament. For example, the Galatians fell into this error and Paul said to them, ‘Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?’ (Gal. 3:3). This is why it is so important for Christians to be clear about the doctrine of their union with Christ.

In the last chapter we saw that our salvation is certain because we were baptised into His death.

If we believe the first statement is true, then let us believe the second is true also. Through the finality of the cross we are forever reconciled to God.

Our judgement has taken place at the cross. Not only did Jesus die for us but we died with Him. The old condemned person we were in Adam has been crucified.

Sadly, many stop there. But Paul says, ‘For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection’ (Rom.6:5).

Let’s Talk About Prayer

Image © Bernard Dunne By means of our union

with Christ in His resurrection, we are empowered for life and godliness.

‘And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life’ (1 Jn.5:11-12).

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Though prayer is 'the Christian's vital breath' it raises many questions: if God is in control of everything what's the point of praying? how is prayer related to healing? what about 'unanswered' prayer?

In this remarkable book Tom Holland uses a series of conversations between a pastor and members of his congregation to help us think through these and other questions in the light of biblical teaching.

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Feeding Minds AND Building Faith 5

Christ’s Appearances after His Resurrection Sermon Outline by Mathew Bartlett

Image © Connie Larsen

Every Easter Sunday we celebrate Christ’s rising from the dead. But that was not the end of the story.

The Bible says that Jesus appeared again and again to his disciples in various ways over the 40 days following his resurrection, giving them many infallible proofs that he was alive. What was the purpose of these post resurrection appearances of Christ?

They Were Regenerating When Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, the women, the eleven disciples, and all the others in the upper room after his resurrection, his purpose was that by believing in him (as the Christ who had died and was risen) they might be born again to eternal life.

This new birth is called regeneration. In the upper room, Jesus Christ breathed on his disciples and through the operation of the Holy Spirit they were born again—or born from above—with a new spiritual nature, the nature of God. It is the same for every one of us today. Jesus died and rose again for you. He wants you to believe this even without seeing him.

There is enough power in his

resurrection to bring you from spiritual death to spiritual life.

That is why the Bible says “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

(Rom. 10:9 ESV) One of the apostles, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus appeared to them on the first Easter Sunday, and he refused to believe their story without seeing the risen Christ for himself. When the Lord appeared to Thomas one week later, he rebuked him for his unbelief, and said "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

(John 20:29 ESV) Today when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ who died for you, and who rose again and is alive today, you will experience a spiritual regeneration—you will be born again and receive the gift of eternal life.

You may remember that before his crucifixion all of Jesus’ disciples failed him. Not only did they fall asleep in the garden of Gethsemane (when Jesus had just 6

commanded them to watch and pray), but they all forsook him in his hour of need and fled for their lives.

Whilst all of them had failed the Lord, the one most keenly felt his failure was Simon Peter. He had followed Jesus to the High Priest’s house where he saw the Lord stand trial before the Sanhedrin— but when challenged by a young servant girl, Peter denied his Lord three times.

Peter wept bitterly over his failure, as Satan sifted him as wheat. But Christ had spoken of his restoration even before his failure.

When Peter declared “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you and die with you.” Jesus answered, “The cock will not crow till you have denied me three times. But the Lord said this “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31–32, 61) Peter watched his Lord’s crucifixion afar off. During the three says that Jesus body lay in

the tomb, he no doubt thought that he had failed too miserably to be restored. But he had not taken into account the resurrection power of Jesus—its ability to renew and restore. After all, the power that brings life from death is able to transform any situation; it will restore the failing, revive the fainting, and renew the backslider’s faith.

So on the first day of the week, before he appeared to all the disciples together, but after he had been seen by the women, Christ appeared privately to Peter.

We are not sure of the details of this encounter. After Peter had discovered the empty tomb, we are simply told that he left, wondering about what had happened (Luke 24:12). But by that night the apostles said “The Lord is risen indeed and has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 22:34) They were not prepared to accept the testimony of the women—but Simon, whom they held as their leader (after Christ), that was a different matter.

Peter had experienced regeneration, but there was more work to be done. He now had to experience restoration.

On another occasion when Jesus appeared to them, quite early on in those 40 days, Peter and some other disciples were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. The Lord stood on the shore and called out “Children, have you any fish” No they replied, for although they had fished all night they had caught nothing (see John 21:1–14). In their hearts they could remember the very first time they had encountered Jesus and were challenged to follow him. On that occasion too they had fished all night and caught nothing. Following his resurrection the Lord repeated the miracle that

had first convinced them that he was the Son of God.

with in private. It was between the two of them.

Christ had taken them right back to the same place and the same experience they had when they first met the Lord. He has to do the same for us sometimes. The trials of life, and the problems we encounter, can cause us to lose faith, and lose sight of Jesus. But how gracious our Lord is, the God of restoration brings us back to himself to restore our faith in God.

Peter had denied his Lord three times and the Lord knew how to restore him. Three times he looks into his soul and asks “Do you love me most of all?” (John 21:17) Peter was hurt that the Lord demanded he say it three times.

When a wound scabs over, if it is infected, it must first be reopened before the poison can be taken out. The Lord did not bring up Simon’s failure because it had not been forgiven. He was not telling Peter that he needed to repent all over again; he was simply healing the wound. He was restoring Peter so that he could start again. And Peter responded to the restoration.

I notice the one great difference between this second miracle and the first miraculous catch of fish— on this second occasion the nets were not broken; a symbol of the power which had conquered death and of the person for whom nothing is impossible. If Christ wanted the nets to break they would have; but if Christ said they would not break, then they would break not even if a hundred Great White sharks swam into them.

When they got back to shore, Jesus invited the disciples to have breakfast with him, for he had a fire already burning with hot coals and the fish was already cooked.

Now, I wager anything that Christ did not dirty his hands getting that meal ready—it was spoken into existence by the word of God—yet it was real fish (had he not spoken fish into existence on Day 5?) and it made a very good meal.

Having ministered to the stomachs of the disciples, refreshing them after a night of toil with food and friendship, Jesus turned his attention once again to Peter, whom he invited to walk with him in private conversation along the beach, a little out of earshot of the others. Jesus did not want to embarrass Peter in front of the others. In the past Jesus had rebuked Peter in front of them all, but here was a matter to be dealt 7

The word of God tells us today that those how fall into sin are to be gently restored in this way— the word used for ‘restore’ is the same as that which is used for setting a bone after it has been fractured.

We have been forgiven so much; we ought to help others find forgiveness too. James writes that “whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20) Even the adulterer at Corinth was (after discipline) fully restored, which was the intention of the discipline all along—there was no other reason for it. Paul said “I wanted you to know the proof of my love for you…Now you ought rather to forgive him and comfort him.” (2 Cor. 2:4-8) If you have failed the Lord, or failed in your faith, the risen Lord Jesus Christ is still able to restore your soul. As the scripture says, “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and

cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) God’s restoration is never partial, only complete. In the words of an ancient hymn “perverse and foolish oft I strayed, and yet in love he sought me, and on his shoulders gently laid, and home rejoicing brought me.”

Instructing Luke recounts how after his resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to them over 40 days, and spoke about the kingdom of God. Whatever did he teach them about? We have some of his post resurrection teaching recorded for us.

He instructed them fulfilment of scripture.

in

But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

(Luke 24:49 ESV) The Second Coming of Christ As Jesus gathered his disciples at the top of Mount Olivet, the last time he appeared to them, with over 500 present at once, they asked him again “Lord, is this the time you will restore the kingdom the Israel.” To which Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons.” (Acts 1:6–8)

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, explained all things that were written about him in the scriptures: “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"

(Luke 24:26) On appearing to his disciples again he “opened their understanding to the scriptures” (Luke 24:45).

The preaching of the gospel

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised shall be saved and he who believes not shall be damned. Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you. (Mark 16:15–16 and Matt. 28:19–20) In the great commission Christ gave his disciples: Purpose Go into all the world and preach the gospel... We have a message of salvation to proclaim and we must proclaim it fearlessly to all mankind, regardless of whether they accept it or not. Theirs is to accept or reject, but ours is to proclaim it without prejudice. God is not willing that any should perish.

Pentecostal pioneer missionary and apostle William Burton said when he arrived in central Africa “We couldn’t got the wrong place—we had to preach it to them all.” For all our lives we have a purpose.

the

His opening their minds to understand the scriptures meant that now they could preach the gospel. He instructed them in this.

He said, in effect, “I am sending you just as my father sent me. I am giving you a message of forgiveness.” (see John 20:23) The apostles announced the grounds on which sins may be forgiven; being at the same time forewarned that their mission to preach the gospel would eventually reach every creature.

Christ’s post-resurrection appearances were commissioning

© Jozef Sedmak It was at this time that “as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

(Acts 1:10–11) In the midst of all this postresurrection instruction, perhaps the most famous part of it, was the great commission.

And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.

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Every little church across the countryside, and the big churches in the cities, all have an equal share in this purpose—to make the gospel message known to all people so that they might be saved. Let’s get on with the job.

Through platform preaching, tract distribution, personal witness, and in many other ways, the gospel must be made known. Every church should have a prayer meeting and every prayer meeting, whatever else it may contain, must always contain fervent prayers for the lost, for it is God's heart and God wants us to enter in and share his burden through prayer.

Power You will receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come on you and you will be my witnesses.

Having instructed them to preach the gospel in all the world, Jesus then delayed them. Remain in Jerusalem until you have been clothed with power from on high.

There is no point going to work without your tools. And the tools given by a supernatural Christ for a supernatural task are necessarily supernatural.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17–18) So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. (Mark 16:19– 20) The tragedy of evangelism today is that many who go forth to preach who have not yet received this power from on high. They are like men going to dig the road with a tea spoons—they have not got the proper tools for the job. Far worse, it is disobedience to the Lord Jesus Christ and irreverence for God’s way of doing things.

When Paul preached he said my preaching was not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. When we preach the gospel today we must do so in the fullness and power of

the Spirit of God; we must expect supernatural manifestation to confirm God’s word.

Presence

The Prophet of Messiah

Go into all the world…And lo I am with you always to the end of the age, Wherever we go with the gospel, whatever challenges we face, even the rejection and persecution of the people, God is still with us. The Lord Jesus Christ accompanies us.

It was because of that presence that the apostles could sing when locked in jail, bleeding from a beating. It was because of that same presence that the earth shook, the prison doors opened and a number of souls were added to the church.

We cannot stop the progress of God. He will build his church and no man can stop it. Let opponents of the cross atheists write as many books and produce as many films as they like—no one can stop the Lord from accomplishing his purposes.

Let us be humbly encouraged by this. We are weak but God is strong. On one occasion, Moses said to God “if your presence goes not with us let us not go up hence”, but God in reply assured him “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” (see Ex. 33:14-15) To Joshua, the Lord said—as he says to us—“I will be with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (see Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews 13:5)

The encouragement which Zechariah's prophecies brought to the Jews at the time of their return from exile helped them to rebuild not only their temple but also their national identity.

Yet Zechariah's message of hope pointed beyond the glory of the temple to one greater than the temple: the Anointed One (Messiah) who would become both priest and king forever over all nations.

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Son shall not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3.36 God sent his only begotten Son into the world to be the Saviour of men. The one Pilate saw standing before him is the One who came into the world to save sinners. He is none other than God of very God. He created the world, and sustains it by his power. Pilate was wrong to suppose that he had power to dispose of Jesus - but he was right to recognize that he could not avoid this question, neither can you or I, for: 1) Jesus has the Foremost Place in History

Pontius Pilate: Behold the Man! John 19:5 Images © Philcold

Introduction

I. An Inescapable Question

The name of Pontius Pilate will always be associated with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was Roman governor in Judea at that time of our Lord’s execution. Historians tell us that he was a capable man of shrewd judgment, trained in Roman law and in the giving of correct rulings.

However when Pilate met Jesus, it seems that he stood before him to be judged than to judge; and when Jesus Christ stands in the judgment hall of our mind, heart and will, we must all face:

“What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:22). As the Lord Jesus Christ was brought before Pontius Pilate, Pilate was faced with an inescapable question. It is this very same question that every man must answer. God we see to it that at some time in your life you will be confronted with this question, and your answer to this question will affect your whole eternity. No one can ever escape this question, for put quite simply, “He who believes on the Son has everlasting life, he who does not believe the 10

“What shall I do then with Jesus?”

(Matthew 27:22). Some have been foolish enough to question the actual existence of a man named Jesus of Nazareth. But when Pilate asked this question, Jesus himself was standing in front of him in person; he could neither ignore nor avoid him.

In the same way, Jesus in an unavoidable figure in history. Let me illustrate. What year is it? It is 2014 A.D. - A.D. Stands for Anno Domini or year of our Lord, meaning it is 2014 years, approximately since our Lord Jesus Christ was born. Prior to that, dates are given as years B.C. or before Christ. We cannot look at any event in history without encountering Christ in the date.

We cannot look at art or literature through the ages without realizing how profoundly Christ has influenced artistic and literary history Just look at the vast statue of Christ the redeemer towering over Rio de Janero, or at Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper. Consider classic books written about him such as Paradise Lost and Regained by Milton, Ben Hur, a Tale of the

Christ by Lew Wallace or even Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, in which the man cast away on a desert island is converted to Christ.

We cannot consider the history of civilization, without noticing His stamp on culture and custom. For example, my own land of Wales has been mainly Christian, not pagan, since the time of the Celts.

St. David lived in the 6th century, when Christianity was already well established.

The fact that faith in Christ remained a predominant feature in Celtic life can be seen by the Celtic crosses such as those at Margam and Penally which are over 1200 years old. We could go on and on, but wherever you look there is no escaping Christ, for he has the foremost place in history.

2) Jesus has the Foremost Place in Eternity “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:22). Whether or not Pilate understood the full meaning of the title “Christ” is not clear; but Jesus endorsed His divine claims when He told the governor that His “Kingdom was not from this world.” (Matthew 27:11). Jesus is not of this world. He had ever lived with God His Father in heaven.

When God sent his son into the world, he put on flesh, becoming a man like you and I, yet without sin.

Even in this state of voluntary humiliation, one could not help but notice that everywhere Jesus went, he was King. Not merely King of the Jews, but the king of eternal ages; king of kings and Lord of Lords. The one standing under the judgment of ate that day was the one who will One day appear to judge the living and the dead. (Acts 10.42)

God has exalted His Son and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Since Jesus has the foremost place in eternity, we must be careful how we answer the question “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ.”

Did Pilate truly know who it was who was standing before him?

There is some evidence which suggests that Pilate knew more than is generally supposed.

Alexander Whyte in his history of Bible Characters claims that in one of his reports to Caesar Tiberius, Pilate had written: “Jesus the Christ, as He is called, is worth more to my administration than any legion of my armed men. He is the most peaceable and inoffensive of men…I shall not lift a single finger against this ‘King of the Jews,’ as His disciples call Him, till I am commanded by Caesar so to do”

II. An Important Question “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:22). Since Jesus Christ is the most important person in time and eternity, this is the most important question you will ever face, Pilate realized that he had never stood before anyone like Jesus before. If we read just briefly the account of his interview with Christ, we get a feeling for the perplexity Pilate faced. Even though he claimed the power to release or crucify Jesus, He ends up as he stands before the Saviour, trembling from head to foot.

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Consider: 1) The Witness Analysed "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people.

And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him;” Luke 23:14 It was not the witness of His disciples, nor of those who followed Him, nor of the many who had been healed during his ministry. It was the witness of those who were hounding Him to death. Pilate, having analysed their evidence, had to say, “I find in him no fault at all” (John 18:38).

Pilate was saying, in effect, that every claim that Jesus Christ had made, for which they were accusing Him of blasphemy, was absolutely true. He was faultless.

Christ had claimed to be the son of God, and even Pilate found no reason to refute him.

Have you ever faced the fact that the One who stands in the judgment hall of your mind, heart and will is not merely a man of history, not some Jew in a far-off land, not some obscure name, but God Himself, the Saviour of the world, the King of kings, the Judge of all? This is the most important issue you will ever face.

2) The Warning Verbalized Even as Pilate sat on the judgment seat, weighing up the whole situation, a message came to him from his wife, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him” (Matthew 27:19). We do not know the contents of her dream, but one thing is certain: it was God-sent, because it upheld the absolute innocence of God’s beloved Son— “that righteous man.”

I wonder if the heavens were opened and she saw a throne, and one sat on it who looked like a son of man, from whose face the whole earth fled away. Could it be that she recognized this figure to be Jesus of Nazareth, who was now standing before her husband?

Did she hear the wails and cries of those who called for the mountains and rocks to fall on them, and hide them from the wrath of this lamb of God which was about to fall on an unbelieving world?

We read in the light of Christ’s coming in judgment, the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! Rev 6:15-16 As Pilate stood before Christ, he faced his most important decision.

The most important decision you will ever face, is a decision you must face tonight, “What will you do with Jesus which is called Christ?”

The decision cannot be put off forever, for “Today is the day of salvation.” None of us knows if we have tomorrow. It is a decision which will determine our whole eternity. how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, (Heb. 2:3)

III. An Individual Question “What shall I do…?” (Matthew 27:22). You may be in a crowd, but Jesus and you stand alone at this moment, as Jesus and Pilate did on the memorable day. Yet his attitude was:

1) Marked by Carelessness With an air of indifference he looks out on the mob and says, “Take ye him, and judge him according to your law” (Matthew 18:31). He thought he could rid himself of Jesus with a snap of the finger and a shrug of the shoulder, but it didn’t work. It won’t work for you either. You cannot ignore the claims of Jesus. Your future meeting with him is inevitable you could be called away to stand before him at any moment. How will you stand then?

2) Marked by Cowardice “As soon as he knew that was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod” (Luke 23:7). Pilate sends the pure and perfect Son of God to Herod, a man totally unrestrained in his sinful indulgence; a man to whom Jesus never spoke, but whom he called “that fox” (Luke 13:32). Here is a man who proved that there is a point in time when God will cease to speak.

The Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever,” (Gen 6:3) But Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate, and Pilate, hearing the tramp, tramp of marching feet, knows that he has to face Jesus again. Fearing to face this important issue did not get Pilate off the hook, and it won’t do you any good either. We must face up to our solemn responsibility.

Christ's call is still repent and believe the gospel.

3) Marked by Cleverness "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!" (Mat 27:21) Knowing that at the time of the Passover it was the custom to release a prisoner to the people, 12

he reasons, “If I put Barabbas, the robber, against Jesus, they will certainly release Jesus. They would not want to do less than stone Barabbas to death.” But such is the condition of the human heart that they lift their voices and call for Jesus to be crucified. So Pilate’s cleverness fails. We cannot get out of this decision by any amount of cleverness.

Bring out all the arguments you can against Christianity. Convince yourself if you like, that there is no God, or that evolutionary chance created the world, but you will never avoid your destiny. Let me read it to you.

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. (Rev 20:12) 4) Marked by Compromise So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him." (John 19:1-4) Pilate stepped out on Gabbatha to declare the absolute innocence of Jesus Christ and then dares to turn around and order that He should be scourged. Then taking the bleeding Christ of God, he sets Him forth as a spectacle of innocent suffering, thinking that this would satisfy their thirst for blood; but the people cry out for His crucifixion.

So Pilate finds that carelessness, cowardice, cleverness and compromise have not worked. No matter what he did he found that he simply could not escape from the Lord Jesus Christ—and dear reader, you cannot escape from Jesus either.

You may hide in the privacy of your room, but Jesus will look down on you there. You may throw yourself into your work, but Jesus will be there with you. You may drink yourself stupid, but when you wake up with an aching head you will still hear those words, “What will you do with Jesus?”

Finally, when you plunge into the river of death you will emerge to meet Him—no longer as Saviour, but as Judge.

What, then, will you do with Jesus? The issue is important, individual and inescapable. You must either crucify Him or crown Him. Ask Him to come into your life as Saviour, Lord and King.

Image © Philcold

A Hymn by Albert B. Simpson (Public Domain) Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall, Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all; Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call?

What will you do with Jesus?

Refrain: What will you do with Jesus?

Neutral you cannot be; Someday your heart will be asking, “What will He do with me?”

Jesus is standing on trial still, You can be false to Him if you will, You can be faithful through good or ill: What will you do with Jesus?

Will you, like Peter, your Lord deny?

Or will you scorn from His foes to fly, Daring for Jesus to live or die What will you do with Jesus?

Will you evade Him as Pilate tried?

Or will you choose Him, whate’er betide?

Vainly you struggle from Him to hide: What will you do with Jesus?

“Jesus, I give Thee my heart today!

Jesus, I’ll follow Thee all the way, Gladly obeying Thee!” will you say: “This I will do with Jesus!”

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every human being has had a mother; without whom we would not have come into existence (1 Corinthians 11:11).

That is why the word of God says: "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely, "that it may go well with you and that you will live a long time on the earth." (Ephesians 6:23) If we keep this particular command of God, then we can expect the blessing of a good and long life without some of the problems we might otherwise face.

And let’s face it—we’ve only got one mother, and they won’t be with us here in this life forever. So let’s make the best of them now.

By the way, the word ‘honor’ in the original text carries the idea of practical help and also financial support. Our moms were their when we needed them – can they count on us to return the kindness and be there for them?

Image © Ruth Black In the United Kingdom this year, Mother’s Day was celebrated on th 6 March.

But don’t worry if you live in Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA, you’ve still got time – it is th celebrated in your countries on 8 May 2016. In fact, the only other countries to share the UK date are Ireland and Nigeria!

But whatever country you live in (and Living Word is currently being

read on almost every continent on earth—just no readers in Antarctica yet!)—it’s never the case that we should only honor our mothers once a year.

When God created humanity in the beginning he ‘created them male and female, and told them to ‘be fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis 1:27-28).

Since the time God created Adam and Eve (the mother of all living) 14

To be honest, I don’t think I really appreciated my mother until I became a parent myself and understood just what goes into the parenting role.

Some of our mothers are already in heaven with the Lord and Saviour.

This Mother’s Day in our church, we placed flowers in a simple table ‘garden’ of resurrection to remember each and every one of them – until we see them again when Jesus comes!

So happy Mother’s Day to all Mothers, it’s not just once a year!

The Returning Lord

by Reinhard Bonnke Image © Grace21

In this Bible study I would like to share four aspects with you. The Bible tells us that these are, amongst others, signs of the impending return of Jesus.

1.

All things will continue as they were from the beginning.

The disciples asked Jesus what these signs would be. He warned them not to consider disasters as such since they would always come – wars, rumors of war, nation against nation, earthquakes, and famines. Life would be normal not abnormal – people marrying, eating, drinking, sleeping, or working. All these things would go on right up to the day of His coming, just as they have to this day.

2.

Jesus especially emphasized that there would be false prophets, false teachers, and false messiahs.

Scripture speaks of the Antichrist.

Deceivers have always been an active part of this evil world.

History is largely made up of such individuals, who use the truth in a distorted misinterpretation for their sinister aims. Their satanic character has been constantly evident by their wickedness carried out blasphemously in the name of God. Wholesale murder, (which is the contradiction of goodness), became a pious act as an offering to God. The persecution of good men and women stains the pages of history with their blood.

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The 19th century saw an extension of errors. In the West, aggressive anti-Christian forces, calling themselves ‘liberal’, arose.

Thousands of churches have become sources of unbelief, preaching against the Word of God, denying the power of God. Atheism, with its many unpleasant faces, is now rampant.

Superstitions have taken deep root while the truth is suppressed. The horoscope has been edited in, and the Bible edited out. Spiritist, paranormal, pantheistic, and mind-power cults have multiplied by the hundreds. Others claim the to be Christians yet deny every Christian truth, such as the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and the Moonies. All of them “deceiving and being deceived” as Jesus said.

The ground is well prepared for any kind of Anti-Christ. He can take into his system every Christdenying cult, every man- made religion, and shape them into a single universal anti- Christian organization complete with false miracles, signs, and wonders.

Everything is ready.

3.

A revived Israel

In chapters 43 and 44 of Isaiah’s prophecy, Israel’s future is foretold. “I will gather you from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’” Then it says “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD. Those who now put their trust in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, are also ‘chosen’, as Israel was chosen.

Jesus said “you did not choose Me, but I chose you (John 15:16), and you shall be witnesses to Me” (Acts 1:8).

Jews are witnesses to the Lord (Jahveh or Jehovah), and Christians are witnesses to Christ, but both together become a sign of the times.

Jesus described it in this parable: Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! (Matthew 24:32-33).

We see today the fig tree beginning to show the signs of the coming summer of God. God has brought about what He said. Israel is now a nation in its own right, and in its own homeland.

4.

A revived Church

Then Isaiah foreshadows the sign of a revived Church in chapter 44 verse 3 “I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.” The promised outpouring of the supernatural blessing of the Spirit of God is, according to Scripture, characteristic of the last days, when Israel is re- gathered.

Joel chapter 2 describes the presence of Israel back in her homeland with the land once more changed from a desert to fertility. Then we read: “Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:2729).

This special outpouring began on the Day of Pentecost. Peter declared “this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” At the beginning of the 20th century, the last century of the second millennium, these two things began to happen together – Israel becoming a gathered nation again, and the same wonders as on the day of Pentecost taking place, with ordinary people speaking with tongues and prophesying. There has been enormous world-wide development abundantly fulfilling God’s promise.

The Church in the twentieth century has seen its greatest 16

world-penetration since this outpouring of the Holy Spirit in signs and wonders. At present reckoning about one in every ten people on earth has been touched by the Christian CharismaticPentecostal revival.

Jesus said that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). At that time, it seemed only a laughable hope, but today it is close to realization. With it has come the greatest witness to Christ, and also the greatest bloodbath of Christian suffering and martyrdom of all time. It is the satanic testimony to the nearness of Christ’s return.

He sees the signs of the times and that, with the coming of Christ, his freedom is coming to an end.

This tremendous twin sign of Israel and the Church is put in a nutshell in the book of James.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7-8).

The reference to early and latter rains relates to the rains of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:23). In Israel, the early rain fell in September, and the latter rain between December and May, with no rain from June to August. The two seasons of rain are those of the early church, and of the times immediately prior to the end before God puts in the sickle, with a dry season during those middle centuries. The latter rains fill out the seedlings and produce the final crop. This is the harvest that Christ is coming to

gather. He will harvest the world.

John the Baptist, the last of the great prophets of Israel said of Christ: “He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12).

But what does this mean for us?

Apart from these signs, life on our planet will proceed as usual. Jesus made this very ‘normality’ a sign in itself. He said: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37-39).

Jesus also compared the last days with the last days of Sodom and Gomorrah: “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:28- 30). This double reference

by Jesus to eating and drinking seems to be based on another prophecy: “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit” (Ezekiel 16:49-50).

Such words could be a perfect description of the world today.

Pride has exalted human thought above the Word of God. Never has there been such fullness of food material affluence and satisfaction. Leisure pursuits are multiplied into major preoccupations. This age has twisted them all into abnormal interests, and even perversions, as a means of pushing God out of life.

God will not tolerate it forever. In the days of Noah, God waited 120 years. In the days of Sodom, they had years of witness by Lot and Abraham. The coming of Christ will mean great tribulation for the godless, the Christ- rejecters, and even the plain indifferent. For the believer it means glory. Christ will gather together His elect, the dead and the living, from the four corners of the earth, to be with Him forever.

In this intellectual and arrogant age, our Gospel message becomes again the same as Paul preached in Athens: “God...now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:3031).

What now?

Do you know this Coming One? Are you prepared to meet Him now?

You will certainly meet Him one day. The Bible tells you to repent – in other words, to stop loving and practicing sin. You cannot do this on your own, only God can enable you to turn to Him and away from sin. If you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Coming One, yet know that you should be, then

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say the following prayer and you will be prepared to meet him.

Dear heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

I come with all my sins, burdens, and addictions.

Wash me now with the precious blood of Jesus shed on Calvary.

Break the chains of sin and Satan in my life and family.

Mark me with your precious blood.

I want to be yours, spirit, soul, and body, for my time on earth and in eternity.

I put my faith in you alone, Lord Jesus Christ. You are the Son of the Living God. I believe with my heart what I now confess with my mouth: You are my Savior, Lord, and God. Now I am born again – a child of God. I believe it and receive it in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Article reproduced with kind permission of Christ for all Nations

The Sufferings of Christ and the Glory that Should Follow - Psalm 22 Image © Bernard Dunne

At the end of Luke’s gospel we read how Jesus explained to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus that the prophets had foretold “the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow”.

Nowhere is the truth of this statement more readily seen than in Psalm 22.

The Persecution of Christ

Although scholars have attempted to identify the person spoken of by David in this Psalm in different ways, anyone familiar with the New Testament should plainly see that the Psalm could not describe anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him (Isaiah 53:3 and v6).

The Psalmist, thousands of years before Christ was born, describes in even greater detail than any of the writers of the gospels, the sufferings of Christ, before going on to speak of the glory that should follow. Here then is a Psalm of pure prophecy. In it we shall consider:

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David vividly describes the persecution which Christ suffered at the hands of sinful men. It is Christ who speaks through David and complains of being despised and insulted by men.

The Psalmist describes Christ as being hounded to death by his enemies. In v12 we read of many strong bulls of Bashan surrounding and attacking the son of God. The bulls of the fertile region of Bashan were well known for their size and strength. Humanly speaking, the enemies of Christ were too strong for him. They were fat, in the sense that they 18

enjoyed prominence and the goods of this world. But they were brute beasts with no sense other than to feed their own appetites.

Such men do not fear God or regard godly things. It would be a terrible situation for any man to have to face even one raging bull of Bashan. Yet Christ endured greater hostility that this from sinful men. The writer to the Hebrews says “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself” Heb. 12:3a The enemies of Christ are described in v13 as hungry lions tearing their prey with wide open mouths. Spurgeon says, “They could not get the blasphemy out of their mouths fast enough, so they had to open their mouths wider that they might gape on the son of God.” These blasphemers would not be satisfied until they had devoured and destroyed

Christ body and soul. No wonder that in v 16 they are also described as dogs.

The dogs of the east are not domestic pets, but vicious, unclean animals, roaming in packs to secure their prey. The Hebrew title given to this Psalm will perhaps shed further light on the meaning intended here. It is “the hind of the morning” and the picture being painted is one men beginning early in the morning to hunt down and destroy their innocent and harmless and defenceless prey with packs of bloodthirsty dogs. So now the dogs are surrounding Christ, and whilst they could only kill the body and not the soul, their words nevertheless caused tremendous distress to the soul of the dying Saviour.

Notice in v7-8 the taunts which were made of Jesus as he hung on the cross. It is terrible to laugh at another’s misfortune, but to laugh the dying Son of God is another matter. Yet they arrogantly and fearlessly slander him and touch upon that which was more precious to Christ than anything, his relationship with God. (V7) In the gospels we read..

Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'“ (Matt 27:41-43) Then not only do we have set before us in this Psalm the mental sufferings of Christ caused by persecution, but also His physical sufferings. In v16 we see that the same crowd who reviled him also

nailed his hands and feet to a wooden cross. Psalm 22 vividly describes the physical sufferings of Christ. v15 Speaks of the dehydration and fever which would have taken hold of the one being crucified as they were exposed to the powerful noontime rays of the Eastern sun.

Christ says my strength or my vitality, literally my moisture, is dried up like broken pottery and my tongue swells with dehydration and sticks to the jaws of my parched mouth. All Christ’s bones are put out of joint in the violence of the crucifixion (v14), the distension of his body making them appear prominent (v17).

Christ describes himself as being poured out like water and his heart, having no more physical strength in it, was melted within him. Medical doctors believe that the presence of water in the heart of Christ indicates that He died of a physically broken heart. Other events surrounding the cross of Christ are portrayed too. (v18) The soldiers who crucified him casting lots for his clothing “And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take”. Mark 15:24.

John gives us a remarkable insight into the crucifixion when he says, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" John 19:28 Then they gave him vinegar to drink in fulfilment of Psalm 69:21.

There is no doubt that the Psalmist’s utterance indicates that Christ would die, as it says in v16, 19

he is brought to the dust of death, or the grave. Some have asked why the spear thrust into Christ’s side is not mentioned here, but this is not a difficulty, because as the prophet is speaking of Christ in the first person, it would not be reasonable to suppose that he would refer to an incident which happened after Christ was already dead and had become insensible.

The Prayer of Christ The prayer of Christ begins with his cry from the cross v1. In spite of all his sufferings at the hands of men, the greatest suffering of Christ was that which he endured in being separated from God as he took on Himself the sin of the world.

At that time, when Christ apparently needed God’s deliverance more than ever before, none was forthcoming. Yet the power of the Holy Spirit within Him enabled Him to endure even these sufferings, for the cup which the Father had given him had to be drunk. So, through the power of the Holy Spirit, He endured the awful agony alone.

God remained aloof even when Christ was reduced to wordless, incoherent cries of agony and distress, the roaring of v1. His prayer was shut out from God whilst he became sin for us. v2.

Yet even in that extremity of experience he continued to trust in God. He continued to hope on the basis of God’s past dealings with the nation of Israel and with Himself personally.

In v3, He Israel’s God, is holy.

When the Ancestors of the Jews had trusted in God, he delivered them. They cried out to God and he answered them and they were not put to shame. (v5).

Yet Christ’s experience of God’s provision and protection could be traced back to before his birth. v9.

Indeed even as a tiny baby, God had delivered his Son from the plots of Herod when all the baby boys in Bethlehem were killed.

With this confidence He prays in v11,

all sacrifice for sin, God is able to forgive and justify men and women who are sinners and to give them eternal life, thereby saving them forever, about which the writer to the Hebrews goes into much greater detail.

“Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help,” and v19 -21, “But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion's mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen!”

Christ’s prayer seemingly remained unanswered as men were allowed to vent their sinful hate and fury on the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet once death had spent its fury on him, it was then that his prayer was answered and that Christ was fully vindicated by God in his resurrection.

The Purpose of Christ Of course, the purpose behind Christ's death was that he might make atonement for the people and take away the sin of the world. Christ died for every man.

He died for our sins. The punishment that men deserved was death and eternal separation from God. But Christ has borne that curse and punishment for us, that we might be saved and redeemed from the curse and penalty of sin. His purpose was to taste death for every man so that he might “bring many sons to glory”.

When he died Christ cried It is finished. The work of redemption had been done. In other words, on the basis of Christ’s once and for

Image © Philcold

The Glory of Christ The pause between which occurs in v21 covers the three days between the “It is finished!” of Christ and the “Amen” of God when Christ rose from the dead.

After illustrating the sufferings of Christ the Psalm abruptly changes in v22 to a song of victory. This song heralds the glory to come after Christ’s sufferings and resurrection. What glory it is!

exaltation to Glory. With his glory Christ has obtained: The Spoil of Redemption Spoil is what a victor takes as a result of his victory. Christ's spoil is that he is able to give everlasting life to all who believe in Him. v26.

By his death he has redeemed men and women and purchased them for God with his own blood.

It was for this joy which was set before him that he endured the cross. Isaiah says that he shall see the result of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. We are the spoil of redemption, and we belong to Christ.

In heaven we shall realise the extent of these spoils, for we shall see countless millions, saved and washed in the blood of Christ standing perfect before the throne of God, worshipping and serving him without fear forever. When Christ died, he alone was the son of God. But because of his death, we too are called the sons of God; Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers (v22), for we too have been made holy through him. The death and resurrection Christ have made it possible for men and women to be born again - born of God- that they might become children of God. (v30).

The Song of Redemption

In Philippians 2 Paul writes that because of his obedience to death, Christ has now been raised from death and exalted to the right hand of God. He has been given the name above every name and that every knee shall bow to him and every tongue confess him as Lord.

v22b-25. In Revelation we read of those in heaven that “ they sang a new song,” Around the throne of God the countless millions will never forget the great cost which bought them pardon and life everlasting. What is the new song which they sing?

Let is briefly examine the things which accompany Christ’s

“You are worthy, for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood Out of every

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tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." Rev 5:910.

It’s a song which even angels can never sing. It’s the song of the redeemed. We were sinners condemned, unclean and on our way to hell, but Christ has saved and cleansed us.

The Scope of Redemption The redemption which Christ has purchased for man is available to the whole world. In v 27 it says, All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. In Isaiah it says, “Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'“ (Isaiah 49:6) When Christ died he died for every man. Today the gospel is being preached worldwide so that, as we read in Revelation, men from every tribe and nation and kindred and tongue will be among his heavenly retinue when he returns to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Span of Redemption “And He shall reign forever and ever...” Rev 11:15.

The Prophecy of Amos

Christ has purchased for us a life that shall never end. He is the founder of an everlasting Kingdom, over which he shall reign throughout all eternity. There shall never be a time when the redeemed of the Lord shall cease to praise and serve him. Psalm 145.13 says, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”

Not only has Christ been exalted to the highest place, he shall remain there unparalleled and unrivalled for ever. Before him every knee shall bow. He is king of Kings and Lord of Lords forever.

Conclusion How grateful we are for the sufferings of Christ which have obtained so much for us, and how worthy he is of the glory that should follow. We too will share in the glory which shall be revealed.

Yet there is an eternal glory which is and ever shall be his alone. As the apostle Paul says.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Tim 1:17

The virtually unknown prophet Amos bursts onto the pages of history with a warning relevant to his time.

He confronts the nation of Israel with the unchanging nature of God and warns them to repent before judgment falls. As we study a period in the history of a nation that had turned its back on God, we draw disturbing parallels with our own time.

Available from all good Christian bookstores The Prophecy of Amos: A Warning for Today

Throughout all nations, the redemption of Christ is all embracing. Whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. That is the scope of redemption.

Paperback: £9.99 & free UK delivery.

KINDLE: £4.99 Available as an ebook in most formats.

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Last Easter we received an email from an atheist challenging us to reconcile the statements made in the synoptic gospels and John and by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 concerning the order in which the post resurrection appearances of Christ took place. Of course, we only have SOME of Christ’s appearances, for he appeared to them over 40 days speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Post – Resurrection Appearances of Christ In the order they occurred by Mathew Bartlett.

Image © Jgroup

Yet, for those of which we have record, it may be useful to list them in order, and so gain a better picture of what happened on that resurrection Sunday and in the days subsequent to it.

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(Matt. 28:1-2; Mark 16:1-4). Just before sunrise, Mary Magdalene and Mary (Mother of James Mark 16:1) and Salome (whose name Matthew omits) went to anoint Jesus’s body with spices.

They witnessed an angel rolling away the stone from the tomb.

This same angel tells them that Jesus is alive, but in response: ‘Then they went out and ran from the tomb, for terror and bewilderment had seized them.

They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.’ (Mar 16:8). At this time they did not wish to share the information directly with the disciples. It is possible that they brought other women with them to verify the story first, for later other women including Joanna arrive in the garden (Luke 24:10).

It seems that Mary Magdalene came back to the garden before the others, still somewhat shaken and unbelieving (John 20:11-16). There she met the risen Christ, whom at first she supposed to be the gardener.

She was not yet allowed to touch Jesus; it is as if he has paused for a moment before briefly ascending to heaven, and then returning to earth.

as the women were about to leave, Jesus himself met them, and this time permitted them to touch him. (28:9).

The women now went to tell the apostles, who refused to believe them (Luke 24:11). However, Peter and John ran to investigate. Both saw the empty tomb, which John describes special detail, but they did not at this time see the Lord and only John was prepared to believe He was risen (John 20:8).So these disciples (Peter & John) went back to their homes (John 20:10).

If Paul (1 Cor. 15:5) intends that Peter saw Christ before the other eleven (as Luke 24:34 implies) then this must have occurred privately between his return home and the evening meal.

Luke 24:34 also implies that the other apostles (except Thomas) believed the word of Peter (though not the women) BEFORE they saw Christ for themselves.

Whether Peter returned to the garden to try to figure out the truth or whether Christ met him where he was we have no record.

Soon afterwards, the other women re-join Mary and enter the tomb that they see an angel (perhaps the same one) who tells them again that Jesus is alive and that they should tell his disciples that he is risen. (Mat. 28:5-6; Mark 16:6-7 - Mark adds Peter's name separately).

Later that day Jesus appeared to two of them on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13). They did not realize who he was until evening when they ran back to Jerusalem, where all present in the upper room meet the risen Christ (Luke 24:36). Thom was absent (John 20:24).

Luke records that they saw no body in the tomb (Luke 24:3).

Until that time, Only Mary Magdalene had seen Jesus, but

Eight days later Thomas was with the other disciples when Jesus again appeared to them (John 20:26).

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We are not given details of all the 40 days of appearances, but we know that when the disciples returned to Galilee as Christ commanded, they met the risen Christ for the third time collectively whilst they were fishing and it was at this time that Peter had his personal interview with Christ.

The disciples had travelled to Galilee at a pre-arranged meeting place, where over 500 saw him at once and were given the great commission (Matthew 28:16; 1 Cor. 15:6).

At some point during these 40 days, Jesus appeared to his oldest brother James and to all the 'apostles', which may be a reference to EVEN MORE disciples further to the 500 who ALSO received the great commission. So the risen Christ must have been seen by MANY HUNDREDS. Then Jesus led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. Now during the blessing he departed and was taken up into heaven (Luke 24:50-51). This Ascension Day was 40 days after Easter Sunday.

At this time Jesus told them to remain in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 1).

There was to be one more appearance, not in vision, but in the same form seen by Peter and the eleven; this was to Paul on the Damascus road. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:8 imply that this particular level of revelation will not be repeated,

UNTIL WE ALL SEE HIM FACE TO FACE.

The Exaltation of Christ In Psalm 22 Jesus was the lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Psalm 24 He is the exalted King, the Lion of Judah.

Mathew Bartlett Images ŠRgbe, JosÊe Massicotte, Lee Torrens

David asks the question, "Who will ascend the hill of the Lord? And who will stand in his holy place."

Perhaps David had in mind the worshippers who went up the hill of Zion to the temple to worship God. Who would God hear and receive? Yet there is a greater meaning here. For when David asks, "Who shall ascend..?" he is actually asking, "Who shall enter into the very presence of God in heaven and remain there, to minister eternally before him?"

We are certain that there is only one answer to this question. Only one person in history has ever met these requirements, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; Heb 9:24 In these verses we see that the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ is entirely proper, right and fair.

1. The Justice of Christ's Exaltation Christ's Exaltation is Just because of his Pre-Existence It is not unreasonable to suppose that since Christ is the mighty Creator who came from heaven in the first place, it is quite right for him to return there. David begins this Psalm with the words, "The earth is the LORD s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. v1-2 Jesus Christ Himself is credited with the act of Creation. The Scripture insists that Christ is the Son of God who was there in the beginning. Speaking of Jesus, the apostle John says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3

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In writing to the Colossians, Paul says: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation [that is, begotten before all creation, meaning He Himself was not created]. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence (Col. 1:1518). The writer to the Hebrews says: God has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. (Heb. 1:2).

Jesus often referred to "coming from Heaven" or "Coming from the Father" and of "returning to

the Father." e.g. Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. John 8:42 "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father." John 16:28 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:5 It was fitting that Christ who knew the glory of being as one with God his Father in heaven should return to the place where he came from.

And it is perfectly fitting that God the son should be so exalted.

Christ's Exaltation is Just because of his Sinless Perfection Jesus Christ is the one person who has never sinned in action- he has clean hands. He is the only one who has never sinned in thought or motive - He has a pure heart.

He is the only one who has been faithful to God in all circumstances. Even in the desert where He fasted alone for forty days and nights being tempted by the devil, when the tempter came to Him and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory in a moment of time, saying all these will be yours if you bow down and worship me, Jesus replied "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only."

Nor was Christ ever guilty of perjury. He never made a false oath or told any lies whatsoever.

Even when Caiaphas the High Priest had the audacity to put him on oath to the Living God, Christ answered honestly. Caiaphas said "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus replied "I am. And

I tell you that henceforth you shall see the son of man sat at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Christ's Exaltation is Just because of his Obedience Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him (Phil 2:6–9).

Jesus Christ always did the will of his Father. The reason he left heaven and was born as a baby in Bethlehem was to accomplish his Father's plan to save sinners.

Although Jesus was always perfect with regard to his sinlessness, yet by suffering death and sorrow he has become perfect (all we need) as the author of eternal salvation for all who believe in him. It was God's plan, not Christ's that he should suffer and die on the cross for our sakes. As a man, Christ had a will of his own. But for our sakes, in the garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion, he prayed "Father, not my will, but yours be done" and he went through with the shame and agony of the cross.

It is for this reason that Paul says God has highly exalted him.

Summary This great Christ, who is creator and master of the universe, for our sakes he humbled himself to become a man and lived a life of spotless purity, always doing what pleased his father God in heaven.

He suffered all the pain and woes 25

that a human man can suffer, and completed his obedience by dying on the cross for the sins of the whole world, so that we may have eternal life. Little wonder, then that such a mighty Saviour should be in the words of Paul Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9– 11)

2. The Triumph of Christ's Exaltation Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant because He has fulfilled the Word of Scripture Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." Luke 24:44 For hundreds of years before Jesus came God had sent prophets with His word, predicting the days when God would send His Son to earth to be our Saviour. They told of His birth to a virgin (Isa. 7.14) in Bethlehem (Micah 5.2). They told of Herod's trying to kill Christ when He was still an infant (Jer. 31.15). They told of His flight to Egypt to escape Herod (Hos. 11.1).

They told of His living in Nazareth as a boy (Matt 2.23) and of His moving to Capernaum as a man (Isa9.1). They told of his entering Jerusalem (Zech. 9.9) on a donkey and of his being betrayed by a close friend (Ps 41.9) for thirty

pieces of silver (Zech. 11.13). They told of his unfair trial (Isa 53.8) and of his being handed over to be crucified (Ps 22. 16). They also told of his resurrection (Ps16.10).

Christ came as the fulfilment of the words of the Scripture. After all that had been written about Him was fulfilled, we see Him returning to heaven in triumph as heaven's appointed King.

Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant because He has finished the Work of Salvation In Mark we read "When he had spoken these things he ascended to heaven where he sat down at the right hand of God." This speaks not only of taking up his rightful place of authority, but of a work completed.

The ascension shows that Christ had by His death and resurrection accomplished all that was necessary for the redemption of all mankind. John Baptist said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

God so loved the WORLD. God is not willing that ANY should perish, that is why Christ has provided the means of salvation for every man and woman and child that has ever been born.

Just as the resurrection gave God's Amen to the "It is finished of Christ", so the ascension and exaltation of Christ give the Amen to the great commission "to go into all the world and preach the gospel - make this full, free salvation which I have obtained known to everyone. And lo I am with you always."

Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant because His Victory is Unchallenged

It was usual in David's time and in history since, for a victorious King to return with his army in triumphant procession with the spoils of victory. In the battle of Calvary, the Lord of glory has fought and won on his own. He has shown that he is strong and mighty in battle. By enduring the shame and agony of the cross, he defeated death, and all the hosts of Satan who - for all their professed wisdom did not know the wisdom of God which had foreordained that Christ should die for our sakes.

If they had, says Paul, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. (1 Cor..2:7-8) So now this Psalm pictures Christ returning in triumph to the ivory palaces of heaven, the undefeated and unchallenged victor, leading the souls of the redeemed dead in his procession to the shouts of joy of millions of angels. The everlasting gates of heaven, into the presence of God himself, open to Him of their own accord that He might rightfully enter in.

3. The Blessings of Christ's Exaltation We have already mentioned that the Lord Jesus has not returned to heaven empty handed - he has the spoils of victory. What His death and resurrection have accomplished for us, He is able to bestow from heaven because of His exaltation.

Through His Exaltation Christ gives the Blessings of His Power The exalted Christ has power to give His church the gift of eternal life. Jesus said, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." John 10:28 26

"You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him." John 17:2

By His Power God brings us into a relationship with Himself whereby we share in His own nature and in the divine life. "As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue" 2 Peter 1:3 By that same power, we are kept eternally: who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation 1 Peter 1:5 This blessed existence will never end, and we shall know God and enjoy fellowship with him forever.

If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us--eternal life. 1 John 2:24-25 Through His Exaltation Christ gives the Blessings of His Presence Paul is at great pains to show, in Eph. 4.9-10, (as Peter also explains in 1 Peter 3.19) that Christ when absent from His body for three days, descended into the lowest place, the place of departed spirits, and there proclaimed deliverance for those saints, such as David, who had lived and died in hope of His coming, but who had never seen it. Then in His resurrection and ascension He ascended to the highest place so that He might fill all things.

When Christ walked as a man on earth, as a man He could only be in one place at a time. Yet now the exalted Son of God is able to say

to His followers I am with you always and everywhere in every situation until the world ends. He is able to say to countless millions of believers all over the world at the same time "wherever two or three gather in my name, I am there in the midst of them."

Notice that Christ is not saying "The Holy Spirit will be there."

Although I'm sure that He is. He says "I will be there" Christ in His exalted glory is omnipresent everywhere at the same time, although invisible to us, yet real and tangible in His presence.

Through His Exaltation Christ gives the Blessings of His Promise Jesus taught His disciples about many promises which God had made, but there was one thing so special that he referred to it as "THE promise of the Father."

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Acts 1:4-5 Jesus had often spoken publicly about this promise: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 Peter said "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted

to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. Acts 2:32-33

Massive Power Massive Love

Jesus had told His disciples "It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

John 16:7 It is because of the exaltation of Christ that we experience the blessings of His promise through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Through His Exaltation Christ gives the Blessings of His Purpose

Shocking… heart-rending… inspiring… compulsive reading.

God's purpose for all who trust Christ as Saviour is that they may be conformed into Christ's likeness. In order for this purpose to become an on-going reality in our daily lives, Christ has given certain gifts to every member of His body, so that the church may build itself up in love, every member growing into His likeness until Christ may be seen in and through us. (Eph. 4:7-13)

Healed and saved from above! The autobiographical book of Psalmic poems charting the journey of one abuse survivor to salvation and healing through the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Every member of the church has an important part in the fulfilment of God's purpose. Let us never despise the gifts God has given, however insignificant some might seem. We must use them for his honour and the good of the church of Christ (1 Pet. 4:10).

Karl Ayling’s honest and at times heart-rending poetry tells the story of his life, and allows the reader to journey with him from the darkness of despair towards salvation and eventual healing.

Through his exaltation Christ gives us the blessings of his power, his presence, his Promise and his purpose. May we never fail to lay hold of all these until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ AMEN. Photo Lion © Sallytaz Lamb, Leetorrens

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