The Death that Defeated Eternal Death
Day 20
by Gini Crawford, MSW
Finding heaven
Death or not? My husband was riding his bike. Suddenly a woman on a dirt path near him aimed her gun at him he thought, but she ended up shooting a rattlesnake. Talk about a not knowing what-to-believe experience. He thought death was aiming right at him.
As you know, life can have you believing one thing, but the truth can be something different. Some people think if they are good enough or follow certain religious laws, some benevolent force or deity will allow them to defeat death and go to heaven. I guess that is their hope. The afterlife is forever, so you need to make sure you know the truth about your eternity and not just think you do.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12 ESV®
We celebrate Christmas and Easter, not because of a jolly fat man and a super bunny, but because these two holidays tell the story of why and how we can go to heaven. The why is because Jesus Who created life has the power, ability and authority to pay for the sins that brought death to us, and that is what He did. The how is we need to believe in the One Who died for us – saving us from our sins - giving us heaven. (John 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:9-10).
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. / ...so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. / But as it is, he (Jesus) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many... Romans 6:23; Galatians 2:16; Hebrews 9:26-28 ESV®
Heaven or not? Did you know you have a choice on what will happen to you after you die? You can chose heaven through believing in Jesus and what he did for you, or eternal death in hell through your own endeavors.
The crucifixion and God's wrath
We deserved God’s wrath and condemnation because we are sinners. Yet, God loved us too much to leave us to bear His wrath, so God the Father had a plan that God the Son would accomplish. The plan was: Jesus would bear God’s just wrath against our sin. (Romans 5:8-10, 8:1-4).
An unnatural darkness fell upon the earth for three straight hours as God's wrath fell on Jesus as He hung on the cross. The darkness was a symbol of the judgement that should have fallen on us, but instead was falling on Jesus. When a person is angry at you, it can make you feel terrified, can't it? Can you imagine how dreadful it was for Jesus, when the fury of God's stored-up anger was unleased on Him? The anguish from the Father's judgement and wrath was so intense, even though Jesus and the Father are one, Jesus felt forsaken by the Father. In Matthew 27:45-46, ...Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1; Isaiah 53:3-8).
In John 19:30, Jesus cries out "It is finished, ... as He gave up His Spirit." No person took Jesus' life. He chose death, so we could have life. The work it took to save us had just been finished on the cross. God's wrath against our sin was totally satisfied. Forgiveness of our sins was accomplished. (Luke 23:46; John 10:17:18; Ephesians 1:7). A person normally dies a slow death by crucifixion, but this wasn't a normal death. It was the death of the Creator - the God of the universe - for us.
Think about it, the eternal God of perfect holiness and righteousness allowed the Son of His Triune Being to take the punishment for our sin by His death. Such is the love of our God for us to have suffered an agony that no human could come close to taking - for love. (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 4:9-10). Why would anyone not want to know and have faith in this God?
A boy went to a Bible camp. He loved the activities until the nightly Bible devotional. He would then distract everyone and put his hands over his ears. At the end of the camp the kids were asked if any wanted to put their faith in Jesus Who died for their sins. The boy who didn't want to hear, to the surprise of all the counselors, was the first to come up. They asked him, "Why?" He said, "I know, I am naughty but Jesus loved me enough to suffer and die for me anyway. Why wouldn't I want to follow Him." What are your feelings about Jesus’ crucifixion?
Life Application
Mediator between God and men
The only mediator between God and humankind is the man Who is God in the flesh. Mediator means someone who intervenes between two, either to make or restore peace and friendship, or to validate a covenant. Our mediator, Jesus Christ, intervened and made it possible by His death to restore our relationship with God that had been wrecked because of sin. 2 (2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 1:19-22).
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all... 1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV®
Jesus is the mediator for all humankind, even the most evil persons. As I write this day Putin, the Russian leader is bombing, destroying, killing and starving innocent Ukrainians. However, even good people are sinners who need a mediator. A mother saved her young children when her apartment was on fire by dropping them out a second story window to a man - she died from the smoke. Jesus out of love, became our mediator and saved us from the fires of hell by His death. The woman that gave her life for her kids is in heaven, because she believed in the God Who gave His life to rescue her from death.
Jesus is your mediator with God, so it just makes sense to go to Him in prayer. Rest your head upon the shoulders that took God's wrath for you. Grab hold of the hands that were crucified for you. Believe me, in Jesus you will find a love and peace that is not of this world. Read Isaiah 53:4-12; Mark 15:22-39; John 19:16-37. Write down any insights you have gained about Jesus' death for you.
Reflect on Isaiah 53:5-6.